The battlefield no longer resembled a battlefield.
The moment the cracks in the ancient seal spread across Mugen Banquet, the world itself began changing. The endless tables that once stretched neatly toward the horizon were now twisting into impossible shapes. Entire banquet halls floated upside down in the sky. Golden rivers of light flowed through the air like living creatures. The feast was no longer obeying Lady Chõko completely.
And everyone could feel it.
The pressure.
The hunger.
The madness.
It was growing.
The Dimensional Clan stood scattered throughout the collapsing world as golden shockwaves erupted in every direction. Even Raizen, who had spent most of the battle acting fearless, no longer looked relaxed.
Because this wasn't Chõko's power anymore.
This was something hidden inside her power.
Something older.
Something sealed.
Something that should never have awakened.
Lady Chõko floated above the center of the feast. Golden cracks spread across her stone armor and continued climbing higher across her body. Her laughter echoed throughout the world.
"YAYAYAYAYAYAYA!"
But now it sounded forced.
Painful.
Almost desperate.
As though she was trying to drown out something else.
Something screaming beneath her own voice.
Ayame stared upward.
"What the hell is happening to her?"
No one answered immediately.
Then Haruto finally spoke.
"She's losing the battle."
Ayame looked toward him.
"You mean against us?"
Haruto slowly shook his head.
"No."
His eyes remained fixed on Chõko.
"Against Mugen Banquet."
The realization sent a chill through everyone.
Even Kaizen remained silent.
Because deep down, they had already begun suspecting it.
The seal wasn't protecting the world from Chõko.
The seal was protecting Chõko from her own Forbidden Energy.
And now it was breaking.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
Inevitably.
A massive explosion suddenly erupted above the battlefield. Millions of black plates appeared across the sky, larger than mountains. The moment they manifested, the entire feast began consuming itself. Tables turned into food. Chandeliers turned into food. Even parts of the world itself were being devoured.
The banquet had become hungry.
Hungry enough to eat its own existence.
"That's bad."
Kaizen's voice was unusually serious.
"Really bad."
For once, nobody disagreed.
The hunger wasn't stopping.
It was spreading.
The feast continued expanding beyond the battlefield. Beyond the mountains. Beyond the forests. Beyond everything.
And if it continued...
It would eventually consume the entire continent.
Then more.
Then everything.
High above the battlefield, Chõko suddenly grabbed her head.
The laughter stopped.
For the first time since activating Mugen Banquet...
Complete silence.
Then she screamed.
The sound shattered the sky.
Golden light erupted from every crack in her body as reality itself began splitting apart around her.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
The Dimensional Clan immediately prepared for battle.
Not against Chõko.
Against whatever was awakening.
Massive fractures appeared throughout the feast. Entire portions of the world collapsed into golden voids. The pressure became unbearable.
Ayame dropped to one knee.
Hiroshi's chains trembled.
Even Raizen struggled to remain standing.
Only Haruto and Kaizen managed to keep their footing.
Then Kaizen noticed something.
A pattern.
A strange one.
The feast was expanding randomly.
Destroying randomly.
Consuming randomly.
Except...
One area.
A single location remained untouched.
No destruction.
No consumption.
No instability.
As though the feast itself was protecting it.
Kaizen's eyes widened.
"There."
Haruto followed his gaze.
For the first time during the battle...
Haruto looked surprised.
Then he smiled.
A genuine smile.
"You found it."
The source.
The heart of the feast.
The thing sustaining Mugen Banquet.
The thing Chõko had hidden throughout the entire battle.
The thing the world itself was desperately protecting.
It existed.
And now they knew where it was.
Unfortunately...
Lady Chõko realized it too.
Her head slowly rose.
Golden light leaked from her eyes.
Her expression was twisted between laughter and agony.
Between control and madness.
Between Chõko...
And something else.
Then she looked directly at Kaizen.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Neither spoke.
Then a single tear rolled down her face.
A tiny detail.
Easy to miss.
Yet Kaizen saw it.
And in that moment...
He understood.
Lady Chõko wasn't trying to stop them.
She was trying to help them.
Because she knew.
If Mugen Banquet fully awakened...
Nobody would survive.
Not the Dimensional Clan.
Not Reikosha.
Not even herself.
Then the entire feast shook violently.
The largest tremor yet.
The cracks in the seal spread further.
The golden light became blinding.
And somewhere deep within Mugen Banquet...
Another chain broke.
CRACK.
The sound echoed across the entire world.
Every member of the Dimensional Clan froze.
Even Chõko's eyes widened.
Because they all felt the same thing.
The seal was almost gone.
And whatever was waiting behind it...
Was finally waking up.