The moment the feast erupted, the world itself seemed to scream.
Millions of black plates descended from the sky like meteors. The endless banquet halls twisted and folded into impossible shapes. Golden chandeliers shattered, releasing rivers of light that flowed through the battlefield like living serpents.
Then everything exploded.
BOOOOOOM!
The impact tore apart entire sections of the feast.
Ayame vanished first.
A sonic explosion erupted beneath her feet as she rushed toward Chõko at full speed. Her movements became invisible even to most high-level fighters.
But Chõko reacted instantly.
Her arm transformed into stone.
Ayame's kick landed.
CRAAACK!
The stone shattered.
But so did the air around them.
A shockwave blasted across the banquet, flipping thousands of tables into the sky.
Ayame was forced backward.
Chõko didn't move an inch.
Her smile widened.
"YAYAYAYAYAYA!"
On the opposite side of the battlefield, Hiroshi finally stopped holding back.
His chains erupted from the ground.
Not dozens.
Not hundreds.
Thousands.
The black chains spread across the feast like an endless ocean, wrapping around tables, pillars, and floating plates.
"Let's see you eat this."
The chains lunged toward Chõko from every direction.
The banquet immediately responded.
Plates appeared.
The chains began transforming into food.
But Hiroshi had expected that.
The first chains were distractions.
The real chains emerged from beneath Chõko's feet.
CLANG!
They wrapped around her legs.
Then her waist.
Then her arms.
For the first time in several chapters—
Lady Chõko was restrained.
Kaizen's eyes widened.
"It worked!"
But Chõko simply laughed.
"YAYAYAYAYAYAYA!"
The chains suddenly turned into enormous black noodles.
The restraints vanished.
Hiroshi immediately jumped backward.
"Seriously?!"
Meanwhile, Haruto stepped forward.
The battlefield around him distorted.
Space folded.
Twisted.
Compressed.
The feast trembled.
The endless tables nearest to him began collapsing into themselves.
For the first time since Mugen Banquet appeared...
The world was taking damage.
Chõko noticed immediately.
Her smile disappeared.
Only for a moment.
But it was enough.
Haruto had become the biggest threat.
Not Raizen.
Not Ayame.
Not Hiroshi.
Haruto.
Because he was the only one capable of reaching the heart of the feast.
And she knew it.
"Move."
Kaizen suddenly appeared beside Haruto.
His eyes remained fixed on Chõko.
"I'll create an opening."
Haruto nodded.
The two immediately separated.
Kaizen's mind accelerated.
Every movement.
Every attack.
Every reaction.
His brain analyzed everything simultaneously.
Then he saw it.
A pattern.
A tiny delay.
Whenever the feast transformed attacks into food...
A fraction of a second existed where the process wasn't instant.
Small.
Almost impossible to notice.
But real.
A weakness.
"RAIZEN!"
The shout echoed across the battlefield.
Raizen looked over.
"What?"
"I found an opening!"
Immediately, a grin appeared on Raizen's face.
A dangerous grin.
An arrogant grin.
The grin of someone who had been waiting for this moment.
"Finally."
Purple dimensional energy exploded around him.
The pressure shook the feast.
Even the floating plates began cracking.
Ayame immediately retreated.
Hiroshi pulled back his chains.
Even Haruto stepped away.
Because they knew exactly what was coming.
Raizen wasn't preparing an attack.
He was preparing the attack.
Chõko's instincts screamed.
For the first time during the battle...
Danger.
Real danger.
The kind capable of killing her.
Stone armor immediately spread across her body.
Layer after layer.
Thicker.
Denser.
Stronger.
Golden energy flowed through every crack.
The banquet itself rushed toward her.
As though the world was trying to protect its ruler.
Yet Raizen kept smiling.
"You've been annoying me for a long time."
The dimensional sword in his hand began vibrating.
Space cracked around the blade.
The horizon split apart.
Even the feast seemed nervous.
Then
Kaizen moved.
Ayame moved.
Hiroshi moved.
Haruto moved.
All four attacked simultaneously.
Not to defeat Chõko.
To distract her.
To create a single opening.
A single moment.
A single mistake.
The battlefield erupted into chaos.
Ayame's kicks shattered stone.
Hiroshi's chains wrapped around her arms.
Haruto distorted space around her feet.
Kaizen continuously forced her attention away from Raizen.
For the first time in the fight...
Lady Chõko was being overwhelmed.
Not by power.
By teamwork.
And she knew it.
"YAYAYAYAYAYA!"
Her laughter returned.
Louder.
Crazier.
Yet behind that laughter...
There was something new.
Excitement.
Because after all this time...
The feast had finally found worthy guests.
Then the world went silent.
Raizen had finished charging.
The dimensional sword glowed with enough energy to split the sky itself.
The feast trembled.
The mountains trembled.
Even Chõko's smile faded slightly.
Because she understood.
That attack...
Could reach her.
Could hurt her.
Maybe even more.
Raizen pointed the blade toward her.
His eyes burning with arrogance.
"Try eating this."
The chapter ended as dimensional energy exploded across the battlefield, illuminating the entire Endless Feast in violet light.
And for the first time since activating Mugen Banquet...
Lady Chõko looked genuinely alarmed.