The moment Lady Chõko finished speaking, the entire banquet hall trembled.
Thousands of silver plates suddenly appeared across the battlefield. Golden lights flickered above the endless tables while an unnatural pressure spread throughout the feast.
Ayame immediately felt it.
A tiny portion of her spiritual energy vanished.
Then another.
Then another.
Her eyes widened.
"It's speeding up."
Haruto's expression darkened.
The same thing was happening to him.
To Hiroshi.
To Kaizen.
Even Raizen.
The feast was eating them.
Not their attacks.
Not their techniques.
Them.
Lady Chõko laughed loudly.
"YAYAYAYAYAYAYA!"
The sound echoed across the endless hall.
Golden energy surged around her body as her aura continued growing stronger.
The longer the battle continued, the stronger she became.
The longer the battle continued, the weaker they became.
Kaizen clenched his fist.
"This is bad."
"No kidding."
Ayame stepped backward.
"We're literally being eaten alive."
Meanwhile, Raizen looked completely unimpressed.
Or at least he pretended to be.
His pride refused to acknowledge what was happening.
"Tch."
He pointed his dimensional sword toward Chõko.
"You think this changes anything?"
The feast immediately rattled.
The plates vibrated.
As if the world itself had reacted to his challenge.
Lady Chõko smiled.
"Try me."
That was all it took.
Raizen vanished.
The ground exploded beneath his feet.
His speed shattered the nearby tables as he rushed directly toward Chõko.
Unlike before, he wasn't using a dimensional slash.
No ranged attacks.
No large techniques.
Just pure speed.
Pure swordsmanship.
His blade swung.
The strike connected.
BOOOOM!
A shockwave exploded throughout the banquet.
For the first time since activating Endless Feast, Chõko was launched backward.
Several tables shattered.
Golden plates flew through the air.
Ayame's eyes widened.
"He hit her."
Raizen landed smoothly.
A confident smirk appeared on his face.
"Told you."
Blood slowly dripped from Chõko's cheek.
The wound wasn't serious.
But it existed.
And that alone was enough to prove something.
Physical attacks still worked.
The Dimensional Clan immediately noticed.
A weakness.
Small.
But real.
Then Chõko started laughing again.
"YAYAYAYAYAYAYA!"
The blood disappeared.
The wound healed.
The feast consumed another portion of energy from the six members.
And just like that...
The damage was gone.
Raizen's smirk vanished.
"...You've got to be kidding me."
Kaizen's eyes narrowed.
"No."
He continued analyzing.
"She's healing faster now."
Everyone immediately understood why.
The feast had been growing stronger this entire time.
Every second they remained inside.
Every breath they took.
Every movement they made.
The banquet consumed more.
And Chõko received all of it.
She wasn't merely recovering.
She was evolving.
The golden aura surrounding her body had nearly doubled since the beginning of the fight.
Even her stone armor looked stronger.
Thicker.
More durable.
The banquet itself seemed happier.
Hungrier.
Larger.
Then something unexpected happened.
Haruto stepped forward.
For the first time since the feast activated, he looked serious.
Very serious.
His eyes locked onto Chõko.
Then onto the endless tables.
Then onto the horizon itself.
As though he had finally reached a conclusion.
Kaizen immediately noticed.
"You figured something out."
Haruto remained silent for several moments.
Then nodded.
"Maybe."
Raizen looked over.
"What are you talking about?"
Haruto slowly raised his hand.
Space distorted around his fingertips.
Not enough to create an attack.
Not enough to feed the feast.
Just enough to observe.
The distortion spread across several tables.
Then vanished.
Haruto's eyes narrowed.
A realization struck him.
And for the first time since entering Endless Feast...
A small smile appeared on his face.
"I found it."
Everyone turned toward him.
Even Lady Chõko stopped laughing.
The banquet hall grew strangely quiet.
Kaizen's eyes widened slightly.
Because Haruto's expression told him everything.
There was a weakness.
A real one.
And Haruto had finally seen it.
Lady Chõko slowly tilted her head.
Still smiling.
Still laughing softly.
Yet deep inside...
For the very first time since activating Endless Feast...
She looked concerned.
"YAYA..."
The laugh stopped halfway.
Haruto took one step forward.
Golden lights reflected in his eyes.
And then he spoke.
"Now I understand how this world works."
The entire battlefield fell silent.