Multiversal Friendship System-Chapter 253 - 252 – Just Not Letting You Use It, Suffer With Jealousy

Chapter 253 - 252 – Just Not Letting You Use It, Suffer With Jealousy

"You want to talk?"

Souta glanced at Tsugumi and loosened the control he had over her body slightly.

"You're full of it! So what if you can freeze us in place? How many of us can you stop, really? If you want to talk about cooperation, this isn't nearly enough!"

Now able to speak again, Tsugumi immediately fired off a rapid string of complaints.

Clearly, being ambushed out of nowhere had pissed her off.

"Oh? Not impressed by my power?"

Souta smiled, his tone playfully mocking:

"Then watch closely—I'll destroy Tokyo for you, just as a demo."

As he spoke, his body slowly floated upward, a wind stirring around him, ruffling the clothes and hair of everyone present.

Tsugumi looked up at him, shock flickering in her eyes.

Golden lightning suddenly flashed in Souta's eyes.

In the next instant, a golden bolt tore through the atmosphere, splitting the night sky and illuminating the entire city.

For a moment, night vanished—everything was as bright as day.

BOOM—!

Thunder followed, deafening and fierce.

Tsugumi and Gai, now partially free to move, looked to the sky, pupils shrinking in alarm.

What had been a clear night had, without warning, turned dark and stormy. Thunderclouds churned above, thick and black.

A storm of apocalyptic proportions brewed overhead.

Then, Souta raised his right hand and slowly clenched it.

The ground began to quake violently. Tsugumi lost her balance and fell.

Cracks split through the park beneath them.

A primal fear like the end of the world, swept through everyone.

"Wait! We'll talk! We'll negotiate!"

Gai finally lost his composure and shouted.

Destroying Tokyo... coming from anyone else, it would sound like a joke.

But with the ground shaking and the sky howling, Gai couldn't afford to dismiss it as mere bravado.

"Tsugumi, stop talking."

Gai turned to the girl beside him with a warning.

Her expression had changed from frustration to stunned disbelief. She tugged at her cheek with a frown.

"Ow... It really hurts... So it's all real..."

Under their gazes, Souta slowly descended back to the ground.

The thunderclouds dissipated, and the darkness cleared.

As if the natural disaster had been an illusion.

Souta wore a disappointed, frustrated expression.

Like someone who'd had their ultimate move interrupted, visibly annoyed.

It was all an act, of course, meant for Gai and the others.

Sure, he could level Tokyo if he wanted.

If he used his full divine power in a single wish, he could wipe out three cities the size of Tokyo in one go, erase them entirely from existence.

But that would be a stupid use of divine energy.

To destroy a city, all he'd need is an antimatter bomb. One blast and the whole area would be flattened, with only a fraction of the cost.

Probably one-fiftieth of his divine power, if that.

But really... what kind of idiot destroys cities for fun?

On the other side, Gai twitched at Souta's expression. A chill ran down his spine.

Maybe... he should be grateful he shouted fast enough?

"You came here with Inori. Don't tell me... you've already used the Void Genome?"

Gai stared into Souta's eyes, deeply suspicious.

He wondered if Souta had already awakened a Void.

How else could a regular human manipulate storms, freeze bodies, and perform these feats?

"You mean this?"

Souta pulled out the transparent containment tube from his pocket.

After Inori gave it to him earlier, he hadn't returned it.

Gai's expression froze, the key was still with him.

So who was this man?

Then, right before everyone, Souta crushed the containment tube.

Light burst forth from within, and the crystal essence floated into the air, forming glowing ribbons.

Souta casually raised his hand and pulled the ribbons toward himself, binding them to his arm.

He felt the resistance of another will but he didn't care. Using overwhelming mental strength and divine power, he crushed it, forcefully forging a connection with the Void. A symbol formed on the back of his hand.

"So this is the Power of Kings, huh?"

As the glow faded, Souta looked at his right hand with genuine curiosity.

Though... a small doubt lingered in his heart.

Why had there been resistance when he used the Void Genome?

In the anime, Ayase had tried to use it. Shu's mom didn't seem to object. So there shouldn't be a requirement for "special identity," right?

The "King's identity" was tied more to the Void virus's memory duplication process and the chosen partner, not the ability to use the Genome.

Even a fake king like Scrooge had the ability.

And even Daryl Yan, a Gravekeeper, butcher, had used it.

Is it because... I haven't been infected with the Apocalypse Virus?

Souta turned toward Inori and met her crimson eyes.

"Since I bought you dinner... you don't mind if I extract it, right?"

Inori didn't speak. She just looked at him and gave a small nod.

Souta smiled, and using the Void Genome's instinctive guidance, reached for her chest.

A flash of light and his hand slipped into her soul, drawing out the large sword manifested from her heart.

Inori didn't faint.

Gai's pupils shrank at the sight.

Souta swung the sword and a shockwave cleaved the entire park in two.

"The power of the Void..."

Gai watched in awe.

But just as he was struck by the spectacle, Souta's voice broke the moment:

"Is that it? Kinda underwhelming."

He released Inori's Void. The sword returned to her body.

Souta raised his right hand. Golden light shimmered in his eyes.

Time began to rewind. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

In a blink, the Void Genome fully reassembled—back inside its container, good as new.

Souta scoffed: "You people fight to the death over this weak stuff?"

Gai: "..."

What... did he just witness?

This man used the Void Genome, disliked it, and put it back together?

How...? Gai's mind couldn't even begin to grasp it.

It was beyond everything he knew.

Souta waved a hand, restoring Gai's mobility.

"Now you have no doubts, right?"

Tsugumi said nothing.

She was too shocked to speak.

"Who are you really...?" Gai asked, flexing his fingers.

"The world is far bigger than you think."

Souta didn't beat around the bush anymore:

"I'm a visitor from another world. I came to check on someone else who was chosen."

He pointed at Inori.

"Inori... was chosen?"

Gai turned to her in surprise.

Souta didn't clarify what she was chosen for. His expression made it clear he wasn't going to elaborate.

"Wait," Tsugumi interrupted.

"If you're that powerful, couldn't you do whatever you want? Why even need our help?"

Souta gave her a sidelong glance.

"Can you cook?"

"Huh? Cook?" Tsugumi blinked, but answered anyway. "A bit."

"Do you cook often?"

"Of course not. I'm an intel officer, not kitchen staff."

She pouted, thinking it was a dumb question.

Souta clapped his hands.

"Same here. I'm a god, not a grunt. Why do the hard work myself when I can have others do it?"

Tsugumi: "..."

He just justified laziness like a pro. She was... impressed.

"I'll be blunt," Souta turned to Gai. "Your Funeral Parlor's numbers, several hundred strong, make for a solid base. It meets my minimum criteria. I want to work with you. Mutual benefit."

"Wait... how do you know how many people we have? You know us that well?" Tsugumi grew wary.

"Relax," Souta assured her. "I don't know that much. Just scanned your leader's memories a bit. Got some intel."

Tsugumi stepped back in alarm.

Gai: "..."

Yeah, with someone like this, you better not try anything sneaky.

"What's your goal?" Gai asked.

"I've got urgent business, so I won't go into details."

Souta pulled out an A4 sheet and handed it to Gai.

"My goals, plans, and the benefits I can offer you are all written here. Take it back, think it over. Inori knows how to reach me. If you don't want to cooperate, I'll find someone else."

"You're leaving?"

Inori stepped closer, still hugging Fyu-Neru.

"Yeah."

Souta looked at Gai, then at Inori and suddenly smiled.

"I'll leave you a parting gift."

He crushed the containment tube again.

Light burst forth, and the glowing ribbons emerged once more.

Souta guided them with divine power, wrapping them around Inori's right hand.

This time, there was no resistance.

Inori successfully fused with the Void Genome.

Of course, Souta also used a bit of divine power to help her fully integrate it.

That way, she could use her Void without fainting afterward.

She'd earned him 1000 points. He wasn't going to be stingy.

Beside them, Gai hesitated but didn't speak.

The Genome was just a means to an end, if this man was on their side, it didn't matter anymore.

"Farewell. I hope you make the right choice."

With that, Souta looked toward the armed members behind Gai and released the restrictions on their bodies.

Then, he whispered a return command—and vanished from sight.

PS: The setting of the Void Genome used by Daryl comes from MoeGirl Wiki. Honestly, whether using this thing requires a special identity feels a bit vague. In the anime, it seems like no special identity is needed. In the game Lost Christmas, I only played through one ending with Iron Head, so I don't remember it clearly. I heard there's also a good ending where both Scrooge and Carol survive.