"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" In reality, Colson's sunglasses shattered!
Mo Bai & Little Bai: !?!
Colson was dragged to the seabed by a vortex created by a massive wave. There, he finally discovered the culprit behind the colossal wave—countless schools of fish, converging from all directions, tumbled together, creating a silver storm in the azure ocean that kicked up sand and stones wherever it went.
Shellfish, shrimp, algae, and every other visible object on the seabed were swept into this storm. What was once a defensive maneuver by the sardines against predators had now become a predatory frenzy for the school, which was still growing at a visible rate.
In an instant, Colson, a visitor from the surface, felt he might be in danger. Just as he realized this, a powerful pull came from in front of him.
"My god! My god!" Even as Colson flailed his limbs in a desperate doggy paddle, he couldn't resist the force of the storm kicked up by the thousands of fish behind him.
"This is the end for me!" Just as Colson closed his eyes and resigned himself to his fate, he felt a solid landing beneath his feet.
"What is this..." Colson cautiously opened his eyes. He found that the "BAD END" of being devoured by fish hadn't occurred. Instead, he was standing atop the school of fish, controlling its direction.
The novel experience was truly a thrill for him, but he soon discovered that the rioting school of fish was gradually calming, turning in the same direction as if in worship.
The crisp sound of hooves echoed as a golden chariot, pulled by white horses and surrounded by dolphins, slowly approached. Wherever it went, the schools of fish parted automatically to either side.
"Contestant Mo Bai?" Colson called out in astonishment.
Clad in golden armor and holding a trident, Mo Bai glanced at the bald-headed Colson, who stuck out from the school of fish like a herniated disc, then silently raised the trident in his hand.
The golden chariot accelerated toward the surface, the school of fish following close behind, and Colson once again enjoyed a free ride on a fish-mobile.
It was only then that Colson realized who the man with Mo Bai's face on the chariot was. "The sea god, Poseidon?!"
Poseidon, the sea god of ancient Greek mythology, and also the god of horses. Legend says he gave mankind its first horse, and his mount was a golden chariot driven by white horses. When he brandished his trident, he could not only conjure massive waves with ease but also stir up storms and tsunamis, sink continents, and shatter the heavens and earth.
Both the mount and the iconic trident matched the mythological descriptions.
The school of fish leaped to the surface, and Colson saw six great mountains blocking the ocean's advance.
"The shape of these six mountains..." Standing on the crest of a wave, Colson quickly noticed something was off. The shapes of the six mountains before him were clearly the six dishes he had eaten earlier.
Without a command from Poseidon, the frenzied school of fish drove the massive waves forward, and several of the mountaintops were smashed to pieces by the raging tide.
Even the largest mountain, shaped like a tuna, was turned to dust in the blink of an eye.
In an instant—the mountains and rivers shattered! The earth split asunder!
The world-ending flood rolled on!
Above the waves, Poseidon watched with a cold gaze as the continent sank.
The culinary illusion ended. Only after witnessing the apocalyptic scene of the ocean swallowing the continent did Colson feel the deliciousness in his mouth.
The tyrannical flavor of the seafood broth quickly faded. The delicate, elegant, yet lingering taste of the Sillago fish, paired with the rich flavor of the sardine, filled his mouth, leaving an endlessly satisfying aftertaste. Amidst the two, granular objects burst forth like gems during the chew of the tender fish flesh, releasing a pleasure called surprise.
"The orange-red granules are sardine roe, and the dark green ones are sea grapes? And there's a familiar savory saltiness that is..."
"Sweet shrimp roe."
"So it was sweet shrimp roe?" Colson had a sudden realization. The roe of extra-large sweet shrimp from Hokkaido contains the salty-umami flavor of the sea, and eating it with the shrimp's body accentuates its freshness. He was naturally very familiar with it.
Colson picked up another blooming flower of fish flesh, savoring it carefully before letting out a long sigh of contentment.
But a question immediately followed.
"Behind such an intense flavor, why can I still taste the delicate deliciousness of the sweet shrimp roe and Pacific saury roe within the Pacific saury and Sillago fish?"
"That's because of the ice shell," Mo Bai explained.
"An ice shell?" Enlightened, Colson quickly picked up a piece of unmelted ice.
"Mmph! This ice wasn't made from ordinary water!" Unfortunately, with his sense of taste and the intense flavor of the seafood broth, this was as far as he could deduce. Colson turned his inquisitive gaze toward Mo Bai.
"Correct. The ice was made using Kona deep-sea water."
"So that's what it was. No wonder it has the essence of the ocean." Colson was well aware of this desalinated drinking water extracted from the deep seas of Hawaii.
"This is truly a terrifying dish."
"Tyrannical! It comes from the ultimate, tyrannical suppression of the seafood broth—like those six shattered mountain peaks, the best proof is that I can no longer recall the flavors of the previous six dishes."
"But within that tyranny lies an incredibly delicate deliciousness. The Sillago fish, Pacific saury, sweet shrimp roe, and sardine roe, diluted by the ice shell made from Kona deep-sea water, still retain their original flavors."
"It's like the great sea, capable of stirring up colossal waves to destroy everything, yet also capable of calmly nurturing all life!"
"With this dish alone, Contestant Mo Bai has pulled far, far ahead of all his peers in the seafood category."
"A well-deserved perfect score." Colson took out a new pair of sunglasses to replace the broken ones. "Additionally, I will use my authority as a recommender to invite you to participate in the Five-Star Chef examination in Hokkaido two months from now."
"A recommender?"
"It's a special privilege of food critics, allowing a chef to take an examination that skips ranks."
"Starting straight at five stars? Sounds pretty good." Mo Bai nodded. "Thank you, Judge Colson."
Before long, Takagaki Kaede and Chiba Eda also broke free from the culinary illusion. Immediately, they both picked up the two remaining fish flowers in the soup bowl, placed them in their mouths, and closed their eyes in bliss.
The result was obvious. Two perfect scores said it all.
"Th-three perfect scores!?" Kasuga Yanagi's voice cracked.
"The Group A scenario repeats itself! Contestant Mo Bai serves last and pulls off another comeback victory!"
"Let's give a thunderous round of applause to celebrate the birth of the Akihabara Summit Battle champion!"
Ceremonial cannons boomed as dazzling confetti and streamers rained down from above.
Amidst the deafening cheers and applause from the audience, Mo Bai walked toward Yoshino Takashi, who was surrounded by Wang Daji, Wang Zhongji, Wang Xiaoji, and Harano Katsuya.
"Did you just want me to see your championship moment to mock me?" Yoshino Takashi glared viciously at Mo Bai, growling under his breath. "You've done it now, so let me leave!"
"Ara~ my dear friend, do you think I'm as boring as you?" A small bowl appeared in Mo Bai's hand, and he brought it before Yoshino Takashi with a smile. "Weren't you just declaring with such confidence that the Far East's sashimi is the strongest? I'll make you concede, loud and clear."
"This is the dish I gave the judges just now. You can speak after you've tasted it."
In the half-bowl of white broth, a flower-shaped piece of fish bloomed, its petals unfurling into strands as fine as a human hair.
"How's my knife work?"
"Hmph! You just want to humiliate me! I'll remember this grudge! We'll settle this score later!" Yoshino Takashi snatched the small bowl from Mo Bai's hand.
"Idiot, there is no 'later.' Despair is your final destination."
Mo Bai watched as Yoshino Takashi slowly brought the small bowl to his lips, an icy chill spreading across his face.
The bowl he had offered was a truly special version, enhanced by his Culinary Heart—the Deep Sea Roar.
Yoshino Takashi's movements abruptly froze. He saw a turbulent, pitch-black sea, and above it, a man in a golden chariot holding a trident.
Danger!
For no reason, Yoshino Takashi felt that the small bowl before him didn't contain a dish, but a lethal poison for a chef.
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