Chapter 146
The expressions on Kurokiba’s face only heightened the five judges’ curiosity.
Without further hesitation, they placed the meat rolls into their mouths.
The next instant, their pupils contracted sharply.
An overwhelming burst of stimulation raced through their mouths and exploded across their palates like a hidden current erupting from the depths of the sea.
The braised Great Sea Serpent meat was tender and overflowing with juice.
Every fiber had absorbed the sauce, allowing the rich savoriness of the ocean to flow freely across their tongues, intertwined with the mellow fruitiness of the Wine Coconut.
Then the precisely measured acidity of the Jewel Plum surged forward.
It cut through the richness while sharpening the seafood’s natural flavor.
Layer after layer rushed directly to the brain and swept across every taste bud, drawing the judges into a state of helpless bliss.
Even the pores across their bodies seemed to open in pleasure.
What had initially appeared to be an ordinary braised meat dish shattered every expectation the moment it entered their mouths.
Only an overwhelming assault of flavor remained.
But that was nowhere near the end.
Kurokiba pointed toward the accompaniments arranged beside the main dish and ordered arrogantly,
"Next, eat the Bread Snails and buttered mashed potatoes."
"Dip them in the sauce at the bottom of the plate—the sauce containing every drop of the Great Sea Serpent’s flavor—then combine them with the meat."
"Put all of it into your mouths at once! Forget your manners and chew!"
"Take the full force of this dish until your legs can’t hold you up anymore! That’s the only way to experience it at its best!"
The five judges were rendered speechless by his attitude.
However, the extraordinary first bite compelled them to follow his instructions anyway.
They coated the side dishes in the thick sauce and ate them together with the serpent meat.
The buttered mashed potatoes had been whipped with meticulous care, giving them a dense, velvety texture that melted immediately on the tongue.
They carried a delicate milky fragrance and the deep richness of butter.
The soft Bread Snails had soaked up the seafood sauce until they were tender and succulent, their pillowy texture blending perfectly with the creamy potatoes.
When these were combined with the juicy Great Sea Serpent, the smoky bacon, the mellow red wine, and the sweet acidity of the Jewel Plum, every flavor fused together at once.
Nothing clashed.
Instead, each component elevated the others, unleashing an unprecedented explosion of intensity.
Savoriness, fragrance, acidity, richness, and sweetness surged forward in successive waves, crashing across the palate like a raging deep-sea storm and striking directly at the soul.
There was no doubt about it.
This was a top-tier dish every bit the equal of the Yukihira-style Minotaur Stew and Hayama’s Spice-Roasted Flying Duck Leg.
Its overwhelming impact and layered flavor also possessed the unmistakable savagery of Kurokiba Ryo.
Senzaemon and Leonora shuddered simultaneously.
A moment later, both experienced their third "bursting" of the day.
Kurokiba watched the five judges lose themselves in his dish, and a defiant grin curled across his lips.
This was his cooking!
...
After Kurokiba, Haruto approached the judging platform carrying an enormous platter.
Resting at its center was a perfectly rounded ball of dough.
This was his finished dish.
After being roasted over intense charcoal heat for an extended period, the outer shell had developed a uniform orange-red color.
Faint roasting marks patterned its surface, and its warm sheen seemed to conceal a raging inferno within.
The entire arena fell silent.
Even the audience’s breathing grew quieter.
Kawashima Urara tightened her grip around the microphone, unable to conceal the anticipation in her voice.
"Everyone, we have finally reached our last contestant! Suzuki Haruto’s dish is about to be revealed!"
"After the extraordinary creations presented by Yukihira Soma, Hayama Akira, and Kurokiba Ryo, what new surprise will Haruto bring us?"
"Let us find out!"
Haruto placed the platter steadily on the table before the five distinguished judges.
The dough ball glowed with a gentle orange light beneath the lamps. It lay peacefully at the center of the plate, yet somehow radiated the fierce tension of something waiting to erupt.
Haruto’s calm gaze passed over Nakiri Senzaemon, Dojima Gin, Anne, Nakiri Leonora, and Charme.
"Please enjoy my dish."
"Haruto’s Special—Phoenix Reborn in Flames."
After a brief pause, he added a warning.
"Please step back a little to avoid being burned."
The five judges had watched Haruto prepare the dish.
Although they did not understand how he had prevented the dough shell from bursting under the immense pressure, they knew that it must now contain a tremendous amount of heat, steam, and concentrated fragrance.
It was like a vessel filled to its absolute limit.
The moment it broke open, a huge volume of scorching steam would inevitably escape.
Without hesitation, all five judges quickly retreated several steps and fixed their eyes on the orange-red sphere.
Once they had reached a safe distance, Haruto lifted his fingers from the platter and swiftly stepped backward.
Without Haruto actively maintaining it, the layer of Nen coating the shell began to dissipate.
The next second—
Crack.
Crack-crack-crack.
A series of crisp, delicate fractures broke the silence.
They spread outward from the center of the sphere’s crown like cracks racing across a frozen lake.
Then came a soft pop.
A small section at the very top was blasted into the air by the surging pressure within. It traced a shallow arc before landing gently at the edge of the platter.
A torrent of blazing crimson mist erupted from the opening.
It rose with the force of a volcanic eruption, fierce and magnificent like molten lava surging into the sky.
Under the arena lights, the red vapor gathered into the faint image of a phoenix spreading its wings as it was reborn from the flames.
Its wings unfurled majestically, its form proud and regal, as though it had broken free from the deepest abyss of fire.
The beauty of the spectacle struck directly at the heart.
Then a clear phoenix cry rang through the arena.
"Screee—!"
At the same moment, an indescribably rich aroma exploded outward with the red mist and swept across the entire venue with unstoppable force.
It was not the same aggressive fragrance as Hayama’s dish.
This aroma was fiery yet mellow, powerful yet warmly soothing, a complex union of flame and roasted meat.
Layer upon layer forced its way into every person’s nose and surged directly into their minds, overwhelming and swallowing the lingering fragrances of the previous three dishes.
The combination of sight, sound, and scent froze everyone in place.
They forgot to breathe, their faces filled with naked astonishment.
As the crimson mist slowly dispersed, the upper half of the dough shell cracked apart and fell away under the force of the steam.
The dish within was finally revealed.
Inside the shell lay an entire Volcanic Hyacinth Bird, braised to flawless perfection and resting in a thick crimson broth that gleamed like liquid ruby.
The bird’s skin was glossy and richly colored, taut yet succulent. Its plump body shone enticingly beneath the lights.
Tiny bubbles still rose through the sauce, which had concentrated the ingredient’s savoriness to an extraordinary degree.
The sight alone made mouths water.
"Th-this is nothing short of a miracle..."
Anne stared blankly at the dish.
Her normally composed face was filled with shock, and even her voice trembled slightly.
"For an instant, I truly saw flames erupting from the depths of a volcano and soaring into the sky."
"I saw a phoenix rising from the fire..."
"Can cooking truly create something like this? Can a dish produce such extraordinary visual and auditory effects?"
Was this cooking—or a special-effects performance?
Leonora stared at Haruto, her eyes overflowing with curiosity.
"Haruto-kun! How did you accomplish this?"
"The way the shell cracked, the volcanic red mist, the image of the phoenix, and even that cry... All of it was beyond imagination!"
"This cannot possibly be achieved through ordinary culinary techniques!"
Under the force of her astonishment, Leonora voiced every question in perfectly fluent Japanese.
She had already taken an interest in the boy who defeated her daughter.
She knew that Haruto’s winning dish had been the Golden Laughing Buns, which could produce genuine laughter.
Merely reading about them had amazed her. Making food create sound was already an extraordinary achievement.
Yet that dish could not compare with the spectacle before her now.
Leonora was far from the only one who wanted an explanation.
Every person in the arena turned toward Haruto with intense curiosity.