The fall of the Dark Cooking Society was good news for the Light Culinary World.
But the people who were truly clear-headed knew this wasn't the end.
Once the Dark Cooking Society was gone, the far more terrifying Taiji Culinary World—lurking in the shadows—would inevitably surface.
And without an external enemy to restrain it, the already rotten Light Culinary World would only decay faster from the inside.
The people of the Imperial Kitchen weren't blind to this. They had tried more than once to reform the culinary world, but every attempt ended in failure.
The rot ran too deep. When even the imperial court itself was corrupt to the core, how could the Light Culinary World be spared?
Unless the Big Four joined forces to overhaul everything, there was no chance of turning things around.
What the Light Culinary World truly lacked was a chance to break completely and rebuild.
The system was already dead at the roots. The only solution was to tear it down and plant a new one. Otherwise, no matter how much effort was poured in, it would only prolong the inevitable.
That said, everyone in the Light Culinary World understood one thing clearly.
Kael was untouchable.
No matter how chaotic things became, they absolutely could not provoke him. Anyone who did would die horribly.
Kael was someone who had single-handedly wiped out the Dark Cooking Society. After its headquarters was destroyed, people from the Light Culinary World went to see the ruins themselves.
The place was beyond description.
Although the buildings had been burned to the ground, the remains inside told a different story. And those who had been rescued spoke quietly of Kael's terrifying methods.
From that moment on, Kael became someone the Light Culinary World could never afford to cross.
After settling Arkan and the others, Kael returned once to the Food Wars world. A single return trip meant ten months passed there.
During that time, he handed over several newly developed ingredients to everyone.
These ingredients were created using Gourmet World technology. It had to be said—the technology of the Toriko world was truly incredible.
It was a shame this wasn't the Gourmet World itself. Otherwise, that power would have been even more impactful. Even so, it still caused a massive stir in the Food Wars world.
These new ingredients were absurdly delicious—and cheap.
People all over the world went crazy for them. Ingredients like that simply didn't exist anywhere else.
While Kael stayed in the Food Wars world, time continued to flow in the Chuuka Ichiban world.
With the Dark Cooking Society gone, the Taiji Culinary World could no longer remain still.
Their seal depended on the Dark Cooking Society's existence. Now that it was gone, they were finally free—though they were deeply dissatisfied they hadn't been the ones to destroy it themselves.
Annoyed as they were, once unsealed, they had two priorities.
First: locate the Legendary Kitchenware.
As the Phoenix Eight Immortals, they were the destined star chefs of the Legendary Kitchenware.
Second: capture large numbers of chefs across the world—especially famous ones. Talent like that would never be spared.
But once they actually began, they realized things weren't nearly as simple as expected.
The first obstacle appeared immediately.
They couldn't find the Legendary Kitchenware.
In the past, as star chefs, they would be guided by the Kitchenware themselves. That guidance came from the will within them.
But now, that will had already been destroyed. And Kael was no longer even in this world.
Naturally, the Taiji Culinary World had no way to locate the Legendary Kitchenware anymore.
"What now?" Jing Hua, the Demon King of Chaos, said helplessly. "For the first time in all these years, I can't sense the Legendary Kitchenware at all. In the past, they always called to us."
The Garuda Knife was the Kitchenware he controlled, yet this time, there was no response at all.
And it wasn't just him. None of the Phoenix Eight Immortals could sense any guidance. With no other choice, they returned to the Taiji Culinary World.
"This is unprecedented," someone said. "But it's probably related to that man—Kael. He destroyed the Dark Cooking Society, and intelligence confirms he's already taken control of several Legendary Kitchenware."
"The problem is, no one knows what method he's using. The Kitchenware have vanished completely, and he himself has disappeared. Our people across the world haven't found a trace of him."
Even Wu, the Divine Strategist, felt helpless. Normally, he was the one who grasped the big picture—but this time, there was no picture to grasp at all.
The Legendary Kitchenware were gone.
And Kael was gone too.
"Did you look for the former Dark Cooking Society members who joined him?" Ping Ke asked. "They should know where Kael is."
After the Dark Cooking Society's collapse, those who hadn't committed serious crimes were taken in by Kael. They had become his foundation. Finding them should have been enough.
"I thought of that," Wu said, rubbing his temples. "I found them. But it was useless. Kael isn't with them."
"If that's the case, then capture them," Ping Ke said. "Once they're in our hands, Kael won't ignore his subordinates."
After all, Kael had led those people straight into the Dark Cooking Society headquarters. He clearly wasn't someone who treated his people as disposable tools.
"That was the first plan," Wu said quietly. "It failed."
"What happened?" Jie Lan asked, confused. "Surely the Taiji Culinary World can capture a few people."
"It's not them that's the problem," Wu replied. "It's what follows them."
"A strange entity. I don't even know how to describe it. Its strength is terrifying. Anyone who approaches those former Dark Cooking Society members is attacked immediately."
"Our weapons don't work. Even explosives can't damage it. Sometimes it leaves—but the moment we make a move, it catches up almost instantly."
"We've lost dozens of people to it just to gather this much information."
Wu's voice was heavy. The creature's power was frightening enough—but its loyalty was worse. Whenever Arkan and the others were threatened, it returned without hesitation, charging straight at the attackers.
Its speed was absurd. Even if they managed to capture someone, they wouldn't get far before being wiped out.
Even with modern transportation, escaping it would be impossible—unless this world's technology caught up to the Gourmet World's human realm.
"There's really something like that?" Ping Ke frowned. "The more I hear, the more it sounds unreal."
"No idea what it is," Wu admitted. "But I won't lie—I'm envious. If we could control something like that, the Taiji Culinary World would fear nothing."
Unfortunately, envy alone changed nothing.
"This is troublesome," someone sighed. "Without the Legendary Kitchenware, our plans can't move forward."
The Phoenix Eight Immortals felt nothing but headaches.
"Kael doesn't feel like someone we should provoke," Ramon finally said. "Why don't we cooperate with him? Immortality should be tempting enough."
No matter how they looked at it, they couldn't defeat Kael head-on. Schemes wouldn't work either. The only option left was goodwill.
"Agreed," Tai said after a moment. "But Ramon, you'll continue capturing chefs. Jing Hua, keep training them. The Taiji Culinary World still needs nourishment."
Nourishment.
Aside from scouts and expendables, the most important resource for the Taiji Culinary World was fuel for the Legendary Kitchenware.
Users could be trained.
And those trainees would eventually become offerings—their lifespans handed over to the Kitchenware.
The Taiji Culinary World devoured people without leaving bones behind. Compared to the Dark Cooking Society, it was even worse.
"For now, we wait for Kael to reappear," Tai concluded.
The meeting ended.
Everyone returned to their duties.
Once operational again, the Taiji Culinary World began acting openly.
Ramon traveled the world capturing renowned chefs. Those chefs were sent to Jing Hua for training, then turned into fuel for the Legendary Kitchenware.
They moved using airships, leaving most people clueless. By the time anyone realized what was happening, countless chefs had already vanished.
Fear spread.
No one dared travel alone.
Even Yangquan Restaurant tightened security. Zhou Yu and the others no longer went out alone—especially at night, when the Taiji Culinary World preferred to strike.
"The Light Culinary World really has it rough this time," Arkan said after hearing the news. "The Taiji Culinary World isn't even pretending to care anymore."
They fell silent for a moment.
"Looks like this place is the only safe zone," someone added. "They tried causing trouble here before and got wiped out by the GT Robot."
"Those legs really are too short," someone muttered.
They looked at the GT Robot with complicated feelings. Gratitude outweighed everything else.
Kael had left behind a weapon of mass destruction just to protect them.
Seeing it in action again only reinforced how terrifying it was.
Putting themselves in the enemy's shoes, they felt nothing but despair.
"No matter how wild the Taiji Culinary World gets," Arkan said, "they'll clash with us sooner or later—or rather, with Boss Kael. We should stay alert."
As former members of the Dark Cooking Society, they knew just how dangerous the Taiji Culinary World was.
The Taiji Culinary World rampaged for an entire month.
After spending a month in the Food Wars world, Kael finally returned to the Chuuka Ichiban world.
The moment he arrived, he went straight to where Arkan and the others were staying.
His return made everyone breathe a sigh of relief.