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But what neither of them could have predicted was that Yuuki could so effortlessly heal wounds that were beyond their power to mend. While Melk, as a sharpener, might not have grasped the full implications, Atashino was a different story.
She knew Yuuki was a Reviver, but she never imagined his skill would be so terrifyingly profound.
"Master Jiro! It's been too long. And your appearance... YOU'VE CHANGED!"
Daruma Hermit greeted Jiro from his wheelchair. He recognized him instantly. Even with Jiro's youthful transformation—the Hermit was a man who had seen the world—he knew that beings of Jiro's caliber had methods beyond mortal understanding.
A little surprise wasn't going to rattle him.
Though the old man often seemed unreliable—he was the chief of the Hex Food World for a reason.
"It has been a while, Daruma Hermit."
Jiro returned the greeting. Yuuki and Nono then introduced themselves.
"About the fields... I assume we have you to thank for this miracle?" Daruma Hermit said, gesturing to the celebrating crowd.
"Oh? You don't think Dinner could have managed it himself? He's a Reviver, you know," Yuuki replied, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"I considered it..."
The Hermit admitted, his eyes sharp. "But I've watched Dinner grow up since he was a boy. I know his limits. If he could have solved this, he wouldn't have waited until now. Besides, I saw what you did for Melk and Atashino. The odds are this was your doing—"
The old man laid out his logic, leaving no room for argument.
"You're right... I did it!"
Yuuki conceded. "I restored the life to the planting and breeding grounds. Dinner handled the replanting and ripening. It might not solve all of the Hex Food World's problems, but at least no one will go hungry."
The breeding grounds still needed to be repopulated—so the diversity of their food supply was still limited. But starvation was no longer on the table, and that was a monumental victory.
"THANK YOU, MR. YUUKI! We are deeply in your debt. If not for you, I don't know what would have become of the Hex Food World!"
Daruma Hermit pushed himself to his feet, bowing deeply in gratitude. His body couldn't support him for long, but a moment was all he needed to show his respect.
"Don't mention it. After all, I'm going to need the Hex Food World's help soon enough."
"Of course! You've done so much for us—we will help in any way we can. Besides, preparing AIR has been a long-held dream of the Hex Food World. We may not have been able to do it ourselves, but to be able to participate... that is more than enough."
Daruma Hermit's eyes gleamed with excitement. He had already known why Yuuki's group was here. Originally, he had been hesitant, unsure if they should get involved.
But now, seeing Yuuki's skill firsthand, and with Jiro at their side—he was confident this time would be different.
The thought that their food crisis was over and that they could finally achieve their people's greatest wish was so overwhelming that his legs gave out—and he sank back into his chair, a wide grin on his face.
Afterward, Daruma Hermit gathered all the people of the Hex Food World and announced that it was Yuuki who had saved them. In that moment, Yuuki and his companions were elevated from visitors to honored guests.
....
"What's going on? Why is everyone gathered here?"
A voice cut through the celebration. It was Brunch, one of the new Three Beast Knights of the Hex Food World. He was carrying a massive parcel, clearly filled with ingredients.
As Brunch looked around in confusion, Dinner quickly pulled him aside and explained everything. When he heard that Yuuki had restored the planting grounds—Brunch's face lit up with pure joy.
He had been working himself to the bone these past few weeks. Every time he returned with a haul of ingredients—he had to leave again almost immediately, with no time to rest. As the fastest among them, the burden on him was the heaviest.
To hear that the fields were restored was the best news he could have imagined. More importantly, it meant the people of his village—especially the children—would no longer go hungry. He didn't mind starving himself, but seeing them suffer was something he couldn't bear.
"CHEF YUUKI! WE MEET AGAIN. THANK YOU SO MUCH!"
Brunch found Yuuki and offered his heartfelt thanks. He knew Yuuki through Komatsu.
Komatsu was practically a Yuuki fanatic these days—and from him, Brunch had learned of Yuuki's Culinary Skills—skills that rivaled Granny Setsuno's. The news had left him stunned for a long time.
He might talk trash in front of Setsuno and the others, but he knew her skill was on a completely different level from his.
So, he held a deep respect for Yuuki. They had become acquainted after that, but because of the crisis caused by Midora, he had been forced to return to the Hex Food World to help.
Now, Yuuki had come to the Gourmet World and had solved their greatest problem. How could he not be grateful? His only regret was that his own restaurant was completely empty of ingredients.
He couldn't even treat Yuuki to a proper meal. A verbal thank you would have to suffice.
"Don't mention it—"
Yuuki said. "—I'm going to need your help later. I can't be disturbed while I'm preparing AIR, so I'll need you all to stand guard."
"PREPARING AIR? YOU'RE HERE TO PREPARE AIR?"
Brunch was shocked.
"That's right,"
Yuuki confirmed. "And don't worry, I've come fully prepared. I've already figured out how to prepare it and how to deal with any obstacles along the way."
"Even if you're fully prepared, I have to say it—AIR belongs to the Horse King Heracles. How are you going to deal with him?"
Brunch couldn't help but ask. This was the Horse King they were talking about. Even though he had never seen it in action, the reputation of the Eight Kings was absolute.
"I'm well aware of the danger. That's why I brought someone even more dangerous with me—Knocking Master Jiro."
Yuuki said with a grin. The Horse King was strong, but he had someone even stronger on his side.
"Knocking Master Jiro and the Horse King? Can he really do it?"
Not everyone knew the true extent of Jiro's power, so Brunch was still worried.
"Let me put it this way—"
Yuuki said, leaning in. "—You know Master Jiro's weapon is called the Wolf King's Fangs, right?"
Brunch nodded. Jiro's weapon was no secret. He was a legendary Gourmet Hunter—and one of the few powerhouses who used a weapon.
"The reason it's called that is because it was forged from the fangs of the Wolf King. And those fangs? Jiro knocked them out of the Wolf King Guinness's mouth with his bare hands hundreds of years ago."
After Yuuki finished, Brunch was completely stunned. He knew Jiro was a legend, but he never imagined he was THAT strong.
To have knocked the teeth out of the Wolf King's mouth centuries ago... For a man like that, holding off the Horse King for a while would be no problem at all.
Thinking of this, Brunch's confidence surged. Jiro's track record was just too damn impressive.
....
....
After the celebration in the Hex Food World ended and the other returning members were briefed, the group began to plan their expedition to prepare AIR.
"ACCORDING TO CHEF YUUKI'S PLAN, MASTER JIRO WILL HEAD TO THE NIGHTMARE HILL. THE REST OF US WILL APPROACH THE SLOW RAIN HILLS FROM DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS."
Daruma Hermit unfolded a map and laid out the routes.
In the original story, the Four Heavenly Kings had split up to avoid being wiped out. The Heavy Rain Zone was incredibly dangerous—a single misstep could be fatal.
The people of the Hex Food World had considered this, which was why they had them split into pairs and take different routes.
But now, they only needed to split into two teams—
—One team was Jiro, who would be responsible for holding back the Horse King Heracles. As for the others, there was no need to split up—they could go directly to the Slow Rain Hills to prepare the ingredient.
"We also need to bring the knife Master Melk forged!" Brunch added.
"No, I brought my own knife. I'm confident I can prepare AIR—so that won't be necessary. Of course, if that knife is of no use afterward, you can just give it to me!"
Yuuki took out his own knife. As for the one forged by the first-generation Melk, it couldn't even be called a kitchen knife. But for Yuuki, since no one else would use it, it would make a nice collector's item.
"This is the second generation's knife, right? It's excellent. It has a soul of its own. In that case, you don't need mine!"
Wearing his Amplifier Stone, the first-generation Melk looked at the knife in Yuuki's hand with great satisfaction. This was a knife forged by the second-generation Melk—a knife forged by his daughter.
"In that case, everyone, prepare yourselves. We set out at dawn tomorrow. We'll need to gather some ingredients along the way."
Though Yuuki had already collected a lot of ingredients on his way here, he was preparing AIR ahead of schedule, so he might need more nutrients. In that case, it was better to be prepared.
With their strength, capturing ingredients was much simpler. In fact, Yuuki's own strength was greater than everyone else's combined, except for Jiro's.
But preparing AIR was a very important matter. He needed to concentrate all his energy. At that time, he would need others to guard him.
....
The next morning, the group packed their things and set off—
Jiro went alone to the Nightmare Hill. Mappy had offered to give him a ride, but he had refused. According to him, if a fight broke out with the Horse King, Mappy would easily get caught in the crossfire.
"I Hope Everything Goes Smoothly This Time!"
Daruma Hermit watched them leave, praying in his heart.
Yuuki and the others rushed towards the Slow Rain Hills, capturing many ingredients along the way. In the Heavy Rain Zone, they passed through the Meteorite Rain, because the meteors here were ingredients.
So, they could also provide a certain amount of nutrients for AIR.
....
....
Meanwhile, Jiro had arrived at the Nightmare Hill. His arrival didn't attract the attention of the giant horses because he had concealed his aura. But the Horse King Heracles had sensed his presence.
In the face of this being who was like an ant before it, the Horse King felt a deep sense of crisis. This crisis made it feel as if it would be killed by the human before it.
"SNORT!"
With a snort, all the giant horses looked at the Horse King. The next second, they turned and fled from the Nightmare Hill without looking back.
"Smart. You know you're no match for me, and that a fight would destroy this hill, so you sent them away."
"Horse King, my purpose here is simple. Someone is going to prepare AIR now. He said that after preparing it, he will release the air inside, and then you will have a chance to give birth."
"A healthy heir is very important to you, right? SO YOU NEED TO WAIT HERE UNTIL THE PREPARATION OF AIR IS FINISHED."
Jiro said.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!"
But the next second, a terrifyingly powerful aura erupted from the Horse King. That aura stirred the clouds of the entire Eighth Continent. A series of rings formed above the Horse King, continuously expanding outwards, soon covering the entire continent.
....
"What is that thing?"
The group heading towards the Slow Rain Hills felt this pressure, and they were all stunned.
"The Emperor's Ring is out. Looks like the Horse King is getting serious. Everyone, speed up!"
Yuuki knew what this was. This was the Emperor's Ring. It would only erupt when one's strength reached a certain level. In the late stages of the original story, the battle between Midora and Acacia had shown such a scene.
This was not a special move, but simply because the aura was too strong, so it formed such a phenomenon.
And it was because the beings with such strength were all at the level of the Eight Kings or even surpassed them—so this phenomenon was called the Emperor's Ring.
In the original story, when the Horse King fought Toriko, it had not erupted with the Emperor's Ring, because the Horse King was just playing at that time.
Though the Blue Demon was very strong, the host, Toriko, was too weak, which limited the Blue Demon's strength. And the time it could be active was very limited.
Once the host couldn't hold on, the Appetite Demon would be taken back into the body. Toriko was defeated by the Horse King with one move just like that.
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