Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 333 - 332: "Fatal Blow" Shadow

Chapter 333: Chapter 332: "Fatal Blow" Shadow

"Damn it!"

Hase Ichiro’s expression turned rigid.

As Mars, Ichise Hui, Tiqie Helinai, and others tasted the slice of fish, the smiles that naturally emerged were, to the eyes of Hase Ichiro, the signal that the dual-layered mark had been breached.

The fortress constructed by flavor in their mouths might not be impregnable, but add the Chef’s Heart Mark, and it becomes dual-layered shackles!

At least, Hase Ichiro was confident that after these lucky diners had tasted his Tempura and mulled wine, they would find the next dish, whether it be Takai’s or Xia Yu’s, utterly tasteless!

And showing no pleasure would certainly not involve smiling!

Therefore, when he saw that every single diner without exception had a smile of happiness, Hase Ichiro sensed that something was terribly wrong.

"Crack, crack, crack..."

After tasting the sashimi, those engrossed in the food-induced illusion heard the sound of ice breaking.

They were walking on foot across the frozen expanse of the Extreme North Heavenly Country.

Suddenly, the ice beneath their feet cracked, and bountiful, plump sea bream burst through energetically, leaping out with bodies the size of sharks and emitting a rich, delightful scent.

Boom, boom, boom.

Suddenly, the whole heaven trembled.

"What’s happening?"

"What’s going on?"

Tanaka Hikari, Xingping Chuangzhen, Tiqie Helinai, and others were frightened by the abrupt change. Before they could run, the layer of ice under their feet declared its collapse. With a whoosh, bright ice crystals fell from the sky, and the group screamed and exclaimed, plummeting from the high skies of heaven; their hair all in disarray, and their clothes, such as skirts, creating an indescribably beautiful scene.

"Hum—"

At this moment, time seemed to freeze.

A loud cry, clear as a bell, echoed through heaven and earth. From an unfathomable depth underground, a whale with enormous wings took off, carrying with it a sky-covering, dark shadow.

Snap!

With a flick of its tail, the whale caught everyone on its back.

Xingping Chuangzhen gasped for breath, feeling ice frosting upon his thighs and palms in an instant.

"I’m, I’m frozen!"

Yoshino Yuuki bounced around nearby, with sparkly ice crystals crawling up her ankles, while the immense whale continued its vertical ascent, and with a gentle flap of its wings, a cold wind, a whirlwind from the Extreme North Heavenly Country, swept through the high altitudes.

Higher!

Higher!

Ever higher!

This sky had no end; the Kunpeng carried them on an excursion through the world!

...

After a while, everyone snapped back to reality in the kitchen, their faces still etched with profound confusion.

"So light!"

Mars stared blankly at his own hands and feet.

"My body has been liberated!" he said, "Breaking through all shackles! Shattering all limitations!"

"The sky is wide and the earth vast!"

Next to him, Elizabeth’s deep blue eyes still seemed to hold the boundless sky from the cuisine, as she murmured to herself, "Is this the intention the chef has infused into the dish? Is this the world of ambiance he has woven?"

Tiqie Helinai furrowed her brows.

Turning her gaze backward, indeed attempting to chase the aftertaste in her mouth, her ’Divine Tongue’ went on strike, failing to produce any tangible imagery.

Tanaka Hikari’s bewilderment was adorable as she squatted in a corner of the kitchen counter, her pale palms tightly covering her ears, muttering non-stop, "Ah, how annoying, that buzzing sound just won’t go away..."

In their ears echoed the distant cry of the Kunpeng.

Majestic and expansive.

Just like that stretch of blue sky—vast and limitless, it imparted upon them an indescribable grandeur!

Morioka Makoto covered her mouth as she gazed, beaming at her childhood friend.

At this moment, the hermitage pastoral scroll that lingered in her mind from the cuisine of Hase Ichiro, was just like the moment when the sea bream broke through the constraints of time as they tasted the sashimi, shattering the ice in the same way.

Crack, crack, it all shattered.

What took its place was a magnificent scroll of the sky.

It was as if she was still in the painting, looking up, not knowing how high above a whale, as enormous as a floating island city, was soaring, casting a shadow onto the ground.

What Hase Ichiro presented to them was a world of cuisine reminiscent of Chinese ink paintings, abstract and full of artistic conception.

The world woven by Xia Yu was strikingly similar in style.

It wasn’t as delicate as before, but the impression it gave was one of masterly simplicity.

"Have another slice! Have another slice!"

Inside everyone’s head, a voice seemed to say.

Gulp.

Quietly swallowing saliva, Kobayakawa Ryodan once again reached out with his chopsticks and picked up a slice of fish as thin as gossamer.

Into his mouth it went!

Boom!

Returning to that memorable world, Kobayakawa Ryodan’s cheeks flushed with excitement, "This is that feeling! A bite of heaven! Each slice of sashimi is perfection!"

Unlike the others who scrambled for more, Mars stood motionless.

"A voice?"

"A culinary spirit?"

The imagery in his mind was vivid, and the faint sound emanating from it was terrifying. Mars had completely forgotten what the Tempura and hot red wine tasted like.

Thump!

His stomach trembled within him. Clearly hungry, sending signals of craving to his brain, Mars did not rush to taste the second piece of fish. Instead, he was settling his mind, repeatedly savoring and chewing, spiritually fulfilled.

"He has satisfied me once again."

"However, if I eat sashimi again in the future, I’m afraid it won’t be enjoyable anymore."

Mars was both admiring and secretly bitter in his amusement.

Let’s put it this way, Xia Yu’s Dish of sliced raw fish had become the pinnacle of the sashimi and fish slice category, where the dish itself was the ’ultimate’, not just the flavor within the dish.

That was really terrifying.

To master such an ultimate dish was even more alarming than the ultimate taste.

Because it represented a chef reaching the peak in a certain area, invincible in that domain!

Just imagine if a chef mastered ultimate dishes across multiple areas, then was there even a point for others to compete? Being unbeatable in multiple areas, unassailable from many angles, how many culinary battle rules would need to be set to restrict his victories?

The so-called special ’finisher’ dishes also meant they were the ultimate version of a certain dish, not just the ultimate flavor.

"Finisher..."

As the words crossed his mind, Mars stared at the smiling Xia Yu and felt a jolt of shock.

"If the theme was Japanese cuisine and seafood, this dish could indeed deserve the title of ’finisher’. Neither Lin Chef nor Dragon Chef could do any better!" Mars thought to himself.

Ingredients?

The ’Starry Sea Bream’ was one of the oldest Fantasy Ingredients, beyond reproach.

Knife skills?

The sliced fish was as thin as silk, like fine threads, weightless in one’s hand as if it was hair. Mars could hardly imagine further processing possibilities. Wouldn’t thinner, lighter pieces of fish indeed be like fine shredded flesh, akin to hair strands?

Whew!

He exhaled heavily, retracting the shock from his eyes, and shifted his gaze towards Takai Masashi and Hase Ichiro standing together. Mars made his judgment on this private culinary battle.

"They’ve lost!"

"The scales of victory have tipped completely!"

"This isn’t a contest at the same level!"

Speaking as if no one else was present, compassion flickered in Mars’s eyes.

The day after their promotion to special grade, all of Neon, both online and offline, were discussing them. When their "momentum" and "confidence" had peaked, they personally issued a culinary challenge, only to suffer a crushing defeat...

Mars imagined himself as the one who initiated the culinary battle.

Just the thought alone cast an indelible shadow over his heart.

They were thoroughly defeated despite joining forces, which was utterly sad, like an egg shattered to pieces. Mars shook his head, feeling a sense of malicious glee, "That’s what you get for challenging a freak to a culinary battle. You asked for it, and now you see the results. If you can’t regain your chef’s pride and confidence, then this is where your path as chefs ends."