The banquet world shook violently.
Golden light flooded the horizon as countless tables merged together. Mountains of silver plates rose from the ground like towers. Endless chandeliers drifted through the sky, illuminating a battlefield that no longer looked like reality.
It looked like a kingdom.
A kingdom ruled by one person.
Lady Chõko.
Her laughter echoed across the feast.
"YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA!"
The sound alone sent a chill through the Dimensional Clan.
Not because they feared the laugh.
Because they understood what it meant.
She was enjoying this.
The stronger the banquet became, the happier she looked.
The stronger the banquet became, the more dangerous she became.
Kaizen landed beside Haruto, his eyes scanning the battlefield.
"You found something, didn't you?"
Haruto remained silent for a moment before nodding.
"The world has a source."
Kaizen wasn't surprised.
Every large-scale ability had one.
Every world-type technique required an anchor.
A foundation.
A heart.
Without one, maintaining a structure this large would be impossible.
The problem was finding it.
Because Chõko wasn't stupid.
If such a weakness existed, she would hide it.
And she had hidden it well.
Very well.
Across the battlefield, Ayame continued dodging waves of floating plates. Hiroshi's chains destroyed dozens of them only for hundreds more to appear moments later.
The feast was becoming overwhelming.
Every second spent inside the world strengthened Chõko.
Every second weakened them.
The battle had become a countdown.
And they were losing.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
Inevitably.
Unless they found the source.
Fast.
Raizen suddenly appeared beside them.
His sword rested across his shoulder.
His expression remained annoyed.
"What now?"
Haruto pointed toward the endless banquet stretching across the horizon.
"Find the heart."
Raizen frowned.
"The what?"
"The source."
Kaizen answered immediately.
"If this world exists, something is maintaining it."
Raizen stared toward Chõko.
Then toward the feast.
Then back toward Chõko.
A grin slowly appeared on his face.
"So we destroy it."
"Exactly."
For the first time in several chapters, the Dimensional Clan finally had a direction.
A goal.
A chance.
Small.
But real.
Unfortunately...
Lady Chõko wasn't standing still.
She had been listening.
And judging by the smile growing across her face...
She wasn't worried.
Not even a little.
That realization bothered Kaizen more than anything else.
Why?
Why wasn't she worried?
Had they reached the wrong conclusion?
Or was there something worse waiting for them?
The answer came moments later.
The feast moved.
Not Chõko.
Not the tables.
The entire feast.
The world itself shifted.
The horizon twisted.
The endless banquet hall rearranged itself.
Mountains of silver plates changed locations.
Golden pathways moved.
Entire sections of the world transformed.
Ayame nearly lost her footing.
"What the hell?!"
Haruto's eyes narrowed.
"She's moving the world."
The realization hit everyone simultaneously.
The source wasn't stationary.
The source was moving.
Constantly.
Changing locations.
Hiding itself.
The feast was protecting its own heart.
And Chõko was controlling it.
"YAYAYAYAYAYAYA!"
Her laughter echoed louder than ever.
"You think you can find it?"
The banquet responded immediately.
Thousands of tables rose into the sky.
Millions of silver plates filled the horizon.
The battlefield became a maze.
A labyrinth.
An endless kingdom of food and golden light.
The source could be anywhere.
Literally anywhere.
Kaizen clenched his fists.
"Tch."
Now he understood why Chõko wasn't worried.
Finding the source was nearly impossible.
Especially while fighting her.
Especially while being consumed by the feast.
Especially while the world itself actively protected it.
A perfect defense.
A perfect system.
A perfect nightmare.
Then Haruto suddenly stepped forward.
For the first time since entering the feast, his expression changed completely.
He looked serious.
Focused.
Determined.
Almost dangerous.
Kaizen noticed immediately.
"Haruto?"
Haruto stared toward the endless horizon.
Then toward Chõko.
Then toward the shifting world itself.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"I've seen enough."
The atmosphere changed.
Even Chõko stopped laughing.
Just for a second.
A tiny second.
But enough for everyone to notice.
Raizen's eyes narrowed.
"You found it."
Haruto nodded.
"Not exactly."
The others looked confused.
Then he raised his hand.
Space itself distorted around him.
The banquet trembled.
The tables nearest to him shook.
The silver plates rattled violently.
For the first time since Endless Feast appeared...
The world reacted to Haruto.
Not Chõko.
Haruto.
And that was when everyone realized something.
The source wasn't the only thing Haruto had found.
He had found a way to reach it.
Across the battlefield, Lady Chõko's smile slowly disappeared.
For the first time since activating Mugen Banquet...
She looked genuinely concerned.
And that single expression told the Dimensional Clan everything they needed to know.
They were finally getting close.