The Strange Cat from Fuuto

"It's nice to see you again, Kureshima Takatora!"

You know me!?

Looking at Miku with surprise and uncertainty, the director took a step back. Miku chuckled and said, "I not only know you, I know a lot of other things, such as the Genesis Driver on your waist!"

"what?!"

The director's expression finally changed, and he stared at Miku in shock. Ignoring the director's gaze, Miku said, "Last time I only used 30% of my strength in our fight. This time, let's be serious and use 50%!"

Miku, holding up five fingers, drew his longsword and rubbed it against his shield. Sparks flew as Miku stomped the ground and quickly approached the director.

"clang!"

Amidst the clang of metal against metal, Miku swung his shield upwards, and the director's bow arm struck it, sending sparks flying.

"Who exactly are you?!"

"I am the one who knows everything!"

As the sword of the "Sword Master" flashed with swordplay, a wound suddenly appeared on the Director's chest armor. Miku, not one to back down, swiftly kicked out, sending the Director flying backward.

"However, you are not yet qualified to know my true identity!"

Miku, his sword and shield rubbing together, strode toward the director who had just stood up. The "Sword Master" slashed down mercilessly, but the director narrowly blocked the blow by sending the bow arm of his sonic crossbow to his shoulder.

"That was a quick reaction!"

"But what about now?!"

Miku, now slightly more serious, took a step back and swung his arms rapidly. Sword flowers bloomed on the director's body like a storm, and the director, unable to defend himself, could only raise his arms in front of him to reduce the damage!

Amidst the swirling sword shadows, the director gritted his teeth, pulled the energy lock on the sonic crossbow, and slung it back to his waist.

The director, having forcefully propelled the Genesis Driver at his waist twice, saw the energy glow on the sonic crossbow light up, and quickly pushed off the ground with both legs, sliding backward as he slashed the crossbow horizontally.

"Melon energy Squash!"

The energy slash, resembling a slice of melon cut horizontally, spread 180 degrees towards the director.

After Miku stopped his attack, he smiled disdainfully at the approaching slash at the speed of light. The cat, with its legs stomping on the ground, leaped high into the air and flipped its body. A burst of energy emanated from the "Sword Master" in its hand, and a powerful force came from the blade. Miku caught the force and leaped high into the air. The dark red knight pressed the Cutting Blade button three times in succession. A flash of light appeared on the apple lock, and the unique emblem of Miku was projected into the air by the lock.

"Ringo Sparking!"

As the Apple Lock flashed, the dark red light grew stronger, and Miku, who casually slashed with his sword, unleashed a crescent-shaped strike.

"damn it!"

The director cursed under his breath, unable to dodge in time, and took the full force of the slash. Sparks crackled from his body as he collapsed to his knees, his knight armor dissipating in a flash of light.

"tread!"

The cat landed lightly, reinserted the sword into the shield, and then, with a shrug, placed the sword and shield into the groove on its back before Miku happily walked towards the master.

The earlier panic seemed like an illusion. Having released all his negative emotions in this ordeal, Miku walked up to the director, squatted down, chuckled, and said, "Your driver is really great!"

Miku reached out and gently patted the cheek of the defiant-looking director, scoffing, "But you still got hung up and beaten by me!?"

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Poison of the Helheim Forest, the Monster Siege is About to Begin!

The director looked at Miku's mask with humiliation and resentment. Miku gently patted the director's cheek: "The Genesis Driver's performance does surpass that of the Sengoku Driver, but the difference in strength between the two of us cannot be bridged by the driver alone!"

"And you instinctively ignore the true power of the Genesis Driver, instead using it for combat, which is laughable!"

Miku, who kicked the director over the ground, removed the driver from his waist and the energy melon lock.

"Consider these two items as interest for your loss to me. If you want to beat me next time, then find a way to become stronger!"

Miku, who had arrived in front of Aojiao, hoisted him onto his shoulder and, with his back to the master, waved casually, saying, "Ciao~"

"Honeydew melon~ It's the director!"

Staring at Miku's departing figure, the director slammed his fist into the ground, roaring in furious resentment, "Damn it!!!"

After the director's unwilling roar reached Miku's ears, Miku smiled disdainfully: "The howl of a loser is quite pleasing to the ear!"

Miku felt relieved after venting all his negative emotions, but he didn't realize how much psychological trauma he had left on the director, which might become a mental obsession that could never be easily erased.

With her eyes closed, Ao Jiao on Miku's shoulder trembled with Miku's movements. Miku casually found a factory, threw Ao Jiao on the ground, and then sat on a wooden crate next to her.

Instead, he took the Genesis Driver in his hand and played with it. The melon energy lock had energy flowing on its crystal-clear shell, and the energy source inside could be seen through the shell.

"Genesis Drive!"

Miku chuckled and took it in his hand, examining it closely. After looking at it for a while, Miku removed the core plug-in located in the center of the Genesis Driver.

"I remember playing it this way."

Miku, who had been gripping the Knight display panel of the Sengoku Driver with his backhand, slid it down with some difficulty.

In the original storyline, if Sid hadn't accidentally knocked down the Knight Display during his battle with the mountain god, he probably would never have known the function of the Lemon Energy Seed and Genesis Core that DJ Sagara gave him.

"Crack!"

After Miku removed the knight display panel engraved with Miku's image, he casually inserted the Genesis Core into it.

A few wisps of current flashed across the Genesis Core surface on the tightly sealed assembly of the driver, signifying that the core had officially entered series connection with the Warp Drive.

After examining the new driver on his waist for a moment, Miku reset both drivers.

"What should we do with this guy?!"

Miku, having placed the restored driver aside, looked at Aojiao with some distress. This little guy, who always kept his thoughts hidden and presented himself as strong, actually saw himself as a weakling, a weakling pursuing the path of the strong!

Furthermore, his final evolution in the series was due to how, after being attacked by Inves, he used the toxin suppression function that Miku valued most on the Genesis Driver to suppress the erosion of the toxins, and gradually adapted his body to the toxins of the Helheim Forest during the battle.

Finally, when all the time was ripe, Ao Jiao, who was determined to die, swallowed the Helheim Fruit and was able to evolve into the Over Lord—Lord Baron!

What Miku values ​​most about the Genesis Driver is not its performance, but its ability to suppress the toxins of the Helheim Forest.

It could even be said that this ability could be used to resist the corrosive effects of Helheim's toxins and to become familiar with this power.

They might even evolve again through this!

It just takes some luck, and what many people lack most often is that little bit of luck!

"Should we give it a try?!"

Miku, his eyes darting around, hesitated whether to replicate Aojiao's miracle, but if he went too far, he would completely turn into an inhuman monster, wreaking havoc.

"Well...."

Just then, Ao Jiao woke up with a low groan.

"What am I doing..."

As Ao Jiao scrambled to his feet, clutching his head, he looked up and saw Miku, holding the Genesis Driver, scrutinizing him with great interest.

"Hey kid, we meet again!"

"Did you save me?!"

"I guess so. The main target was this thing, and saving you was just a side thing!" Miku shook the Genesis Driver in his hand, and a glint suddenly flashed in his eyes.

"Snapped!"

Miku, who had darted from the box to stand before Aojiao, chuckled softly, "Want to gain power?"

"Power?!" A bright light suddenly flashed in Ao Jiao's eyes as he muttered to himself: "I want power, power enough to look down on everything!"

"I want more!"

Miku flicked Aojiao's forehead with his finger and laughed, "You'd better not dream about peaches!"

"peach?!"

"What do you mean?!" While Ao Jiao was still pondering Miku's words, a gust of wind flashed in front of her, and Miku jumped back onto the wooden box and sat down cross-legged.

"Did you see this?!"

"Whose White Knight's driver is this!?"

"That's right, the Genesis Driver, a next-generation driver born from the data of the Sengoku Driver that you and I use. It surpasses the Sengoku in performance, and with its special energy lock, the combat power that the wearer can unleash after transformation far exceeds that of all current Riders, except for me, of course!"

After explaining a few words to Aojiao, Miku handed over the Genesis Driver: "Do you want it?!"

"You're willing to give it to me?!"

Ao Jiao, who almost reached out, finally suppressed his impulse and looked at Miku warily, saying, "There's no such thing as a free lunch. Why are you so easily handing over this driver?!"

"A clever little fellow!" Miku praised, casually placing Genesis aside before asking, "How much do you know about the Helheim Forest?"

"You mean the forest we're going to find the Driver in?!" After a moment of hesitation, Ao Jiao carefully spoke, "It's a very dangerous place!"

Perhaps feeling it wasn't quite accurate, he added, "But it's full of opportunities!"

“That’s right, opportunity. I love that word!” Miku clapped his hands and said, “The Helheim Forest is indeed full of dangers, but it’s also full of even more opportunities!”

"Take the Inves for example. Every Inves carries the toxins of the Helheim Forest. Once infected by these toxins, they will be assimilated by the Helheim Forest and become a part of it!"

“But!” Miku emphasized, raising a finger, “But listen carefully, the toxins of the Helheim Forest are an opportunity for anyone, a tremendous opportunity!”

"A tremendous opportunity?!"

"That's right. As long as you can adapt to the corrosive effects of the toxins in Helheim, you will have a chance to evolve again!"

"Evolving once again..."

"The chance to evolve into someone stronger than anyone else!" Miku leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with a strange light. "Do you want it?!"

"I...."

Ao Jiao, who was muttering to herself, only lost her composure for a few seconds before quickly regaining her senses.

"There must be harsh conditions and costs involved, otherwise it wouldn't be as simple as you say. As long as someone knows about it, they could use this to evolve again!"

"How clever!" Miku snapped his fingers and picked up Genesis again. "But how it all works is not something you need to know!"

"How can you tell me?!" Ao Jiao, who had gotten up from the ground, stared intently at Miku. Miku chuckled and said, "If you want to know, then go and get this!"

"Come find me in Helheim only after you obtain the Genesis Driver and the Energy Lock from me!"

"I'll tell you then!"

Before the words were even finished, Miku's figure vanished from the spot. The empty wooden box still retained a trace of warmth, proving that someone had indeed been there.