The Strange Cat from Fuuto

"Genesis Driver and Energy Lock?!" Ao Jiao muttered to himself, clenching his fists. "Just wait, I'll make you say it!"

"The way to evolve again and become stronger!"

.........

Helheim Forest, the ruins of Fimsim, the throne room.

As Miku, clutching the Genesis Driver, left a trail of afterimages in the air, he arrived in front of Byakuya.

You seem to be in a better mood!

"So-so!" Miku casually placed the Genesis Driver on the throne and deactivated his transformation. He placed the Sengoku Driver and the Genesis Driver together, as well as the two Lockseeds.

"Is this a new drive?!"

"Hmm, this is quite an interesting driver!" Miku stared at the Genesis Driver for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Can it obtain the power of Helheim Forest without the help of the Gold Fruit?!"

"It would be very difficult to do without the Golden Fruit!" Bai Ya sighed and looked up at the sky. "The Helheim Forest is both a crisis and an opportunity for the world, and very few can stand out from its encroachment!"

"I see, I understand!"

Having made a decision in his heart, Miku glanced at the Helheim Fruit beside him and then looked away. He would not act rashly before seeing the results from Aojiao!

"Have you thought about your next move?!"

"I've thought it through. My next plan is to completely open the spatial rift leading to Sawame City and let the Heim Forest and Inves thoroughly erode that area!"

This opportunity allows us to glimpse the true nature of these contenders and identify those worthy of being entrusted with the golden harvest!

"I see. It seems you've thought this through carefully!" Bai Ya said thoughtfully. Miku sighed softly, "But doing this will cause widespread suffering."

"All of this is for my comrade. I'm willing to sacrifice the whole world to save him!"

With a cold glint in his eyes, Miku transformed into a monster, draped in a star-studded coat, and sat on the throne opposite Bai Ya.

"Then let's begin!" Miku said coldly, his hands outstretched. "Let the revelry of the Helheim Forest and the feast of the Inves begin!"

Chapter Twenty-Three: Monster Siege, Silly Orange's Realization!

"Kouta!"

Looking at the cold food in front of the door, Ge Yejing knocked worriedly on Sha Cheng's door, "You haven't eaten for a day or two, are you alright?!"

"Don't worry about me, sister. I'm fine!"

In the dimly lit room, with the curtains covering the windows, a silly orange figure, wrapped in a quilt, stared blankly at the floor in front of him.

It has been two days since I returned home from the Helheim Forest.

Ever since Miku taught him a harsh lesson, Sha Cheng has been deeply mired in self-doubt.

After Miku used the Sengoku Driver as bait, the people he risked his life to save shed their facade of civilization and turned into a pack of hungry wolves who wanted nothing more than to skin him alive.

The image of Miku's final sword strike, the blood spilled as he cut down swathes of people like leeks, was still deeply etched in his mind.

"Why is this happening...?"

The silly orange, huddled in the corner with its head in its hands, looked deeply regretful. "Everyone could have come back safely, so why did we choose the driver?!"

"They could have all been safe and sound!"

"Why...?"

Silly Orange, clutching her hair, wore a pained expression. Ge Yejing, outside the door, listened to the faint murmurs coming from inside and felt a pang of heartache.

"Kouta!"

While the siblings were preoccupied with their own thoughts, almost simultaneously, all the Inves in the Helheim Forest were restless. Not to mention the hordes of lower-ranking Inves, even the mid- to upper-ranking ones began to gather one by one. A strange gust of wind stirred up the spores and pollen of the Helheim Forest, causing them to fly everywhere.

The leaves rustled and the vines climbed rapidly up the ground, and the fruits of the Helheim Forest sprouted one after another like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

Between the thrones, Miku sensed the frenzy spreading in the air and chuckled softly, "This forest is starting to get excited!"

"This is an instinct rooted in the forests of Helheim, one that even the serpent's avatar cannot control!"

"Invade everything, devour everything, absorb everything, and color everything with your own colors!"

Bai Ya raised his hands high, his eyes filled with solemnity, and his tone unconsciously carried a hint of awe.

Even after obtaining the Golden Fruit, he still held an innate sense of awe for the Forest of Helheim!

"Hehe, since that's the case, let's satisfy it, satisfy the forest's desire!"

Miku, chuckling as he touched his fangs, sensed a hint of impatience mixed with the restlessness in the air.

That's the smell of desire!

"Then I'll begin!"

As Bai Ya muttered incantations, his eyes shone brightly. One after another, spatial rifts, like zippers, opened in the air. The moment the spatial rifts opened, spores from the Helheim Forest surged out, followed by various Inves making strange noises.

"It's time for me to make my appearance!"

After a burst of golden light emanated from his body, Miku left behind a shed shell before disappearing from Bai Ya's sight in his ultimate state.

On the other end, above Sawame City.

For the people of Sawame City, a familiar yet terrifying phantom once again took over the sky.

Miku's voice, like a thunderclap in spring, boomed across the entire city of Sawame, his eyes as bright as the sun.

"To those who have obtained the Sengoku Driver, I congratulate you on obtaining your ticket to the survival game."

"Regardless of your inner thoughts, you have already embarked on the journey of destiny."

"At this moment, the wheel of fate has already gone wild and can no longer be stopped."

"Therefore, I hereby declare the second phase officially open. In this phase, you have only one thing to consider: survival!"

As Miku spoke, countless Inves poured out from the numerous spatial rifts, howling as they landed on the streets of Sawame City, their bloodthirsty eyes fixed on the stunned crowd.

"Do everything you can to survive, or your journey will end here!"

"The loser eats the dust, never to rise again; the winner lives on, enjoying glory alone!"

With her eyelids lowered, Miku glanced indifferently at Sawame City, which had instantly fallen into panic, before her figure faded and disappeared into the sky above Sawame City.

Amidst the clouds, Miku's golden figure appeared. After glancing at the spatial rift behind him that led back to the Helheim Forest, he did not choose to return. Instead, he vanished into the clouds.

At the World Tree Foundation headquarters, the director, still recovering from his injuries, stared grimly at the screen showing Inves wreaking havoc on the streets.

The World Tree Foundation had already taken over all the city's surveillance cameras; at this moment, they were simply bringing the entire city back under their surveillance.

After Miku destroyed the World Tree Tower, they lost control of the entire city for a time. But just as they regained control, they witnessed this human tragedy once again.

"Damn it, how dare he do this!"

The director clenched his fist and slammed it hard on the table. Zhanji Lingma's eyes didn't show much surprise or anger. To be honest, if the survival game was just a small-scale skirmish like before, then he would have seen the true power of Miku and the overlord of Helheim.

This is the real survival game!

"Guihu, you're just too soft-hearted."

Muttering to himself, Sengoku Ryoma glanced at the director before continuing to look at the scene on the screen while sitting with his legs crossed.

"No, I have to go and launch a rescue operation!"

The director, his face grim and anxious, left the monitoring room after uttering those words. Zhan Ji Lingma, however, remained motionless, calmly watching the monitor screen.

Miku, whose figure had vanished, witnessed the entire scene. Just as he had said, this invasion of the Helheim Forest was a trial for him and Baiya to select the candidates for the Golden Fruit.

Everything will be fully revealed in this invasion, which can be described as a human catastrophe!

"Sengoku Ryoma, disqualified!" Miku thought to himself as he silently made a note for Sengoku Ryoma in his notebook, "Although the director's strength is not great, his character is up to par!"

"We will formally include Wu Daogui in the observer list. Whether he is qualified as a candidate will be determined by continued observation!"

After making these two points clear, Miku gave Zhanji Lingma, who was sitting with his legs crossed, a deep look before disappearing from the monitoring room.

Only Sengoku Ryoma remained, calmly watching the monitor screen!

At this very moment, at the Kuzuha family residence.

Miku's figure slowly appeared in the living room. After glancing at the simple but cozy furniture, Miku showed no expression. After spotting Sha Cheng's room, Miku easily passed through the wall and entered Sha Cheng's dimly lit room.

Inside the room, Silly Orange remained depressed and frustrated, her face devoid of any light. Her eyes, now dim, had completely ignored the outside world, focusing all her attention on her own little corner of the universe.

"That's not good. If you keep going down like this, you won't be qualified to compete for the golden fruits!"

Miku, who was sitting cross-legged on Sha Cheng's bed, did not show himself, but he snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, the noise from the outside world echoed in Sha Cheng's ears, and as he slowly raised his head, his eyes were filled with confusion.

"Someone please save me!!!"

"Mommy, I want my mommy!"

"Don't come any closer! You monsters, stay away from my family!"

"Kouta!"

...........

Amidst all sorts of mournful cries, a stubborn yet desperate female voice reached Silly Orange's ears.

"elder sister?!"

A hint of emotion flickered across Silly Orange's face as he looked up and saw Silly Orange sitting cross-legged on his bed.

"Hey, hello there."

"Kouta Kuzuha!" Miku waved at the silly orange, his golden eyes full of laughter. "This is our first time meeting, isn't it!"

"Who are you? What was that voice you just heard?!"

As Sha Cheng stood up against the wall, the sounds of wailing and cries for help still echoed in his ears. Miku shrugged and said, "Those are the sounds from the outside world, or more accurately, the echoes of what's happening right now!"

"Stand up and look outside!"

Miku, having moved aside, stared at Sha Cheng. Sha Cheng hesitated and took a step forward, when another scream echoed in his mind: "Don't come any closer!"

"elder sister!"

Silly Orange rushed to the windowsill by the bed and ripped open the curtains to look outside. Even with the buildings blocking his view, he could still see Inves attacking citizens indiscriminately on the street, as well as citizens fleeing in panic in fear.