The Strange Cat from Fuuto

"Snapped!"

The next moment, Guangjin's vision turned to darkness.

After Miku knocked Guangjin unconscious with a single swipe of his paw, he flicked his tail and asked curiously, "Who is this guy?!"

"This guy is an interesting existence, but also a foolish attempt by a foolish race!"

"oh?!"

The cat, stepping onto its throne on solid, golden light, looked around but couldn't find Sugar. It then created a spatial rift in mid-air, and while taking things out of it, asked, "By the way, where's the little girl?"

"I brought her a lot of good stuff this time!"

As she spoke, Miku pulled a pink floral dress and a pair of white leather shoes from the magic circle.

"Her..."

Bai Ya glanced at the empty tent, but instead of speaking directly, he changed the subject. If he told the truth, the cat in front of him would instantly go berserk.

Not to mention, the faint pressure that could only be vaguely sensed before is now extremely terrifying as it surrounds the other party.

"Let's put her aside for now and talk about your partner!"

"Iggy?!"

Upon hearing Baiya mention Iggy, Miku's expression changed drastically. Baiya looked at Iggy's body among the vines on the ground and said, "I have found a way to save your companion!"

"What is it?!"

The cat appeared on the armrest of Bai Ya's throne in a flash, its eyes fixed on Bai Ya with anticipation.

"That's the guy!"

With a wave of his hand, Bai Ya, radiating azure psychic energy, pulled Guang Jin in front of him. As he placed his palm against Guang Jin, a dazzling blue light shone from Bai Ya's eyes.

"he?"

Miku, looking at Kogane, was unsure of what Byakuya was up to. Under Byakuya's influence, Kogane's transformation was deactivated, and the Driver and Lockseed separated from his body.

With a wave of his hand, Bai Ya discarded the driver and moved the Golden Apple Lock Seed to Guang Jin's chest.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."

The Lockseed suddenly trembled, accompanied by a buzzing sound, and the Lockseed cover suddenly opened. Light Gold let out a low groan, and the next second he opened his eyes.

"don't want...."

Before Guangjin could finish speaking with a mournful cry, his body transformed into golden particles that surged into the Lock Seed. After the Lock Seed absorbed all the golden particles, the lock cover snapped shut again.

At the same time, a faint light began to flicker on the lock.

"Shh!"

Suddenly, the light intensified, and within the dazzling radiance, a golden apple-sized "golden fruit" appeared before Miku and Baiya.

However, Miku, who had once seen the Golden Fruit, showed a hint of doubt in his eyes. Although the "Golden Fruit" in front of him looked very similar, it was far from the real Golden Fruit.

A true golden fruit possesses an irresistible magic, and its center is filled with pure, clear energy. However, the one before us can only be seen in its brilliant golden light on the outside, while its interior remains completely hidden.

"This is the hope to save your companions!" Bai Ya raised his hand and picked up the "Golden Fruit," saying calmly, "It is an artificial 'Golden Fruit' created by a certain race in the past."

Chapter 56: After going around in circles, we've come full circle!

“An artificial ‘golden fruit’ created by a certain race in the past.”

Bai Ya held the artificial "Golden Fruit" in her hands, and her calm words resonated like thunder in Miku's heart.

"Can golden fruit be artificially produced?"

Miku stared at the artificial "Golden Fruit," its light reflected in its eyes. Bai Ya's white mask took on a new hue under the light.

"But it's a failure, not even one percent as good as the real Golden Fruit." Bai Ya's tone was tinged with disdain. "The real Golden Fruit was born when the Helheim Forest was eroding the world and obtained the source of the world. It contains the most primordial power of the world."

"But this one is incomplete, not even comparable to a trace of the power of the Golden Fruit, let alone having developed its own consciousness. It is a failure among failures!"

In his words, Baiya belittled the fruit, which contained immense power, as worthless. Miku, however, didn't care. To him, as long as he could save Iggy, what did it matter?

Even if it's a rotten apple, as long as it can save him, he'll pry open Iggy's mouth and stuff it into his mouth.

However, some information in Bai Ya's words aroused his curiosity, after all, Bai Ya had been repeatedly belittling the fruit.

"You say it's incomplete, but what exactly is wrong with it?" Miku carefully reached out his paw and touched the artificial golden fruit in Baiya's hand. The surface of the fruit rippled slightly, like a pebble being thrown into a calm lake.

Miku could also feel its texture; it was like a gelatinous substance, bouncy and elastic.

"It is incomplete because it has been imperfect since its birth and instinctively erodes the Forest of Helheim, craving to use the power of the Forest of Helheim to complete itself, but this behavior will cause the destruction of the Forest of Helheim."

Bai Ya's eyes were distant, as if she were recalling those days.

That period was a painful memory for the entire Forest of Helheim. Fortunately, it was eventually sealed away; otherwise, if it had been allowed to run rampant, the entire Forest of Helheim would have vanished, replaced by an incomparably evil and powerful being.

"An instinctive craving for the power of Helheim?"

A flicker of interest flashed in Miku's eyes. After all, the power of Helheim had originally been his goal, but after obtaining the power of the fourteen War God Knights, Miku changed his mind. Now he had a better way to acquire it.

By making good use of the power of the Flame Cross, one can easily acquire the power of the Helheim Forest.

"Moreover, the Golden Fruit is a reward from the Forest of Helheim for those who challenge Him, and it contains pure power."

"Hmm, I understand the general idea. So how do I use its power to awaken my companion?"

"It's very simple. Just use its power to suppress the chaotic and rampant power within your partner's body!"

"So you mean you'd feed it to him?"

“Sometimes, the simplest method is often the most useful.” After saying this casually, Bai Ya pushed the fruit in his hand toward Iqi.

Lying on the ground, Iggy's chest rose and fell, his eyes filled with serenity, and the fruits hanging on the vines of the Helheim Forest covering his body shimmered faintly from time to time.

The artificial golden fruit formed from light and gold floated towards Iggy as Bai Ya moved, perhaps sensing its impending fate of being devoured.

Ripples spread across the surface of the fruit, which trembled restlessly, trying to break free from Bai Ya's control.

"You still retain some consciousness, but it's all in vain. You were wrong from the moment you were born, and being eaten is your destiny!"

With a cold snort, a sharp glint flashed in Bai Ya's eyes as he forcefully shoved it into Iggy's chest.

"Do not!!!"

As the fruit disappeared from Iggy's chest, Miku's ears twitched, and he vaguely heard a scream.

Like ripples spreading across a lake, golden ripples spread across Iggy's chest.

"Can it succeed?"

Miku, whose eyes were fixed on Ichi, did not notice the complex emotion that flashed in Baiya's eyes.

"Ugh..."

Iggy, groaning unconsciously from his throat, trembled uncontrollably, his head shaking with each movement. He was like a vegetable, needing an external force to wake him up.

The artificial gold fruit formed from light was this external force, but as time passed second by second, Iggy's eyes remained a blur, devoid of any clarity.

As Iggy moved unconsciously, the branches and leaves covering his entire body trembled.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

Amidst the rustling of branches and leaves, Iggy trembled more violently, still lacking a crucial moment before he could fully awaken.

"Ugh..."

With a low groan, Iggy fell silent again, returning to his previous deep sleep.

"What's going on? Why isn't it working? Why?!"

The cat, its eyes wide open, jumped to its dog's side, staring at its companion in disbelief.

"It's probably just a little bit off!"

Bai Ya rubbed his fingers together once, then subconsciously pulled his hand behind his back. Miku turned around and looked at him, saying in a hoarse voice, "What's missing? Tell me."

When the cat spoke, two piercing beams of cold light shot from its eyes. Bai Ya could feel the surrounding temperature rise several degrees after it spoke, and with the burst of killing intent emanating from Miku, everything around seemed to freeze.

After a moment of silence, Baiya looked at Miku and slowly said, "The pure power of the Gold-Gold Fruit!"

"Only this can fully awaken your partner, and he will possess unparalleled power from now on."

"I don't care whether he's strong or not, as long as I'm strong enough, because he has me protecting him!" Miku said calmly. "No one can hurt him except himself." At the same time, the killing intent on his body was slowly receding.

"So what's your decision? Do you have the determination to reach for the Golden Fruit?"

Bai Ya suddenly unleashed a terrifying aura, but Miku, who felt a strong wind rushing towards him, remained unmoved. Not a single hair on his body was ruffled as he stared at Bai Ya, neither giving an inch.

"I have my own considerations. It's not like I can obtain the power of the Golden Fruit just by getting involved."

"But aren't you going to abandon that child?" Bai Ya sat back on his throne and glanced at the tent where Sugar had once lived.

“That child willingly accepted the golden fruit for your sake and has already left this space.”

"what?!"

Miku, his eyes wide, stared at Baiya and gritted his teeth as he asked, "She accepted the fruit of gold?"

“That’s right, it’s still half of the Golden Fruit.” Bai Ya continued, placing his hands on the armrests of the throne, “Because of the appearance of another Sawame City, fate has changed, and Gao Siwu, who had originally lost her qualifications, has regained them.”

"While you were away, the snake took half of the golden fruit. I suppose that guy will definitely make Gao Siwu the Daughter of the Beginning."

"If you don't participate, Sugar will be killed alive and the Golden Fruit will be taken!"

“You tampered with this, didn’t you?” Miku’s body swelled and stretched, transforming into a monstrous form. “That child wouldn’t have willingly come into contact with these things.”

"Yes, I did tamper with things, but it was mostly her own choice."

"She chose this path for your sake. If you ignore it, she will die, her soul annihilated by the power of the golden fruit!"

Bai Ya bluntly stated the cruelest truth, and Miku stared coldly at Bai Ya, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes.

"Want to fight me?"

Bai Ya casually drew his own sword from thin air and stood up, leaning on the sword. When he faced Miku directly, a blue psychic power, like the ocean, surged from his body.

Miku also unleashed a burst of fire, and as his surging psychic power collided with the raging fire waves, the air between the thrones began to crackle.

Even the surrounding environment was polarized: behind Miku, the ground was scorching hot with rising waves, while behind Baiya, the ground was damp as if it had been flooded.