The stillness of the Symphonic Geode was shattered not by the aftermath of battle, but by the arrival of civilization. A fleet of IGO Gourmet Carriers, sleek vessels shaped like razor-clams and armored gourds, descended through the now-calm skies. Ramps hissed open, disgorging a small army of researchers, medics, containment specialists, and a scrum of reporters wielding camera snails and sound-catching lilies.
At the forefront, his chef's whites immaculate despite the journey, was Komatsu. His eyes were wide as dinner plates, fixed first on the half-glassified, half-living Geode, then on the exhausted but upright forms of Indra and Rias, and finally on the iridescent Genesis Marble that spun lazily above Indra's palm.
Komatsu: He stumbled forward, bowing so deeply his forehead nearly touched the crystalline floor. "I… we… the IGO… the entire world… we are in your debt! The Planet Devourer… captured! It's… it's unthinkable!"
A senior IGO official, a severe woman with hair like spun silver and a data-pad made of living coral, stepped forward. Her name was Director Helia.
Director Helia: "The preliminary data from your beacon is… staggering. You've not only neutralized an ELE, you've created a stable, observable containment field for a conceptual entity. This single artifact," she said, her eyes locked on the Marble, "advances our understanding of dimensional physics by a millennium." She finally looked at them, her stern demeanor cracking with awe. "Who are you?"
Before they could answer, the media swarm broke through the cordon. Flashbulbs made from bioluminescent fungi popped. A reporter with a microphone shaped like a trumpet flower shoved it toward Rias.
Reporter #1: "Miss! Rias Uzumaki, is it? The sonic signatures from the final containment suggest you sang a cage into existence! Can you comment on the nature of your abilities? Are you a new type of Gourmet Chef?"
Rias: She offered a tired but gracious smile, leaning slightly against Indra. "I am a student of resonance. Everything has a song. Even silence. I simply… composed a counter-melody."
Another reporter targeted Indra.
Reporter #2: "Indra Uzumaki! The spatial-temporal lock you enacted is being called the 'Panopticon.' IGO physicists are weeping over their models! Is it true you rewrote local physical laws to achieve this?"
Indra: His Rinnegan had reverted to its resting state, but it still held an otherworldly depth. "Laws are only agreed-upon stories. I proposed a new story for that space. One with a very firm ending."
His simple, profound statement sent the reporters into a fresh frenzy. Headlines were being written in real-time in their minds: Mystery Duo Tames Armageddon! The Singing Sage and The Law-Bringer! From Obscurity to Saviors in One Meal!
Director Helia regained control, ushering them toward a waiting medical and decontamination carrier. "You both require full diagnostics and debriefing. And… there is the matter of recognition. The highest recognition the IGO can bestow."
As the carrier lifted off, the view through the window showed the landscape below. Already, teams in hazard suits were carefully extracting samples of the Frenzy Moss, the Chrono-Scarabs, and the Null-Residue. Their discoveries, logged automatically by Indra's system, were about to become the most sought-after scientific data in the world.
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The Global Reaction
The news spread across the Gourmet World like a chain reaction of flavor explosions.
In the Human World: Cities erupted in celebration. The Planet Devourer had been a specter of ultimate doom, a bedtime story to scare apprentice chefs. Its capture was a liberation. Newsreels showed the blurry, enhanced footage of the final moments—the folding universe, the erupting forest of song, the gleaming marble. Indra and Rias's faces, captured by long-range lens-bugs, were plastered everywhere. Street vendors sold "Sovereign Skewers" (mysterious, spicy meat) and "Harmony Buns" (strangely melodic pastries). Children played "Hunter and Devourer," with one child trying to "eat" playgrounds while others tried to sing them into a "marble."
In the Gourmet World: The reaction among the titans was more nuanced, but no less profound. Heracles' territory echoed with a deep, satisfied tremor that shook fruit from trees—a Mammoth King's applause. In Bambina's range, the Monkey King was seen actually sitting still for a full five minutes, staring at the moon with a thoughtful grunt. The Sky Deer wove new, jubilant patterns in the auroras. The Ocean King's pressure lifted slightly across the deepest trenches, allowing rare, hopeful bioluminescent displays.
Among the Gourmet Nobility: Old, powerful families who collected rare ingredients and legendary chefs as status symbols were abuzz. Dossiers were compiled on the "Uzumaki Sovereigns." Their connection to the Four Kings was confirmed, sending their perceived threat level and prestige into the stratosphere. Invitations, written on edible gold leaf and scented with priceless perfumes, began to pile up at the temporary IGO quarters assigned to them.
At the Gourmet Casino: The billionaire gourmet, Livebearer, watched the reports on a screen made of solidified caviar. He adjusted his suit, a smile playing on his lips. "Now those are some interesting players. A new commodity has entered the market. Not an ingredient… but the makers of new realities. Priceless."
In the Dark Places: The news was received with silent fury. The criminal underworld, organizations that trafficked in forbidden ingredients and extinct flavors, saw them as disruptive forces. More immediately, the remaining Three Kings of the Gourmet World—beings who had existed in a tense balance with the Devourer—felt a shift. A void of terror had been replaced by a point of controlled, sovereign power. They watched. And they wondered.
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The Pioneer Medal of Honor
The ceremony was held a week later at IGO Headquarters, a magnificent structure grown from a single, gargantuan World Tree. The main hall was a cavern of living wood and crystal, filled with the who's who of the culinary and scientific world. At the center of the stage, Indra and Rias stood, having been provided with formal attire that subtly incorporated elements of their style. Indra's robe had patterns resembling spacetime equations, while Rias's gown seemed to emit a soft, harmonic hum.
Director Helia stood at the podium.
Director Helia: "For millennia, the IGO has stood for the pursuit of flavor, the preservation of life, and the understanding of the bounty this universe provides. Never, in all our history, has a single act so perfectly embodied all three principles as the capture of the Planet Devourer, Mazu's Bane."
A holographic display showed their journey: the trail of silence, the fringe ecosystems, the final confrontation.
"In recognition of unparalleled bravery, revolutionary scientific contribution, and an act of preservation that has secured the future of our very world, the International Gourmet Organization hereby awards its highest distinction, the Pioneer Medal of Honor, to Indra and Rias Uzumaki."
The medals were brought forward. They were not metal, but miniature, stable black holes encased in a honey harvested from the flowers of the World Tree itself—symbolizing the taming of destructive forces for sweet prosperity.
As she placed the medals around their necks, Helia's voice dropped, for them alone. "The data streams from your personal logs… the 'Discoveries.' Our analysts are… having religious experiences. You've cataloged over a thousand previously unknown species, phenomena, and ecosystems. You have, single-handedly, expanded the known Gourmet World by an estimated 8%."
She stepped back, addressing the crowd again. "But a medal is not enough. Knowledge must be shared. Therefore, the IGO, with the permission of our honorees, will now unveil a selection of their foundational discoveries, and… their personal Full Course Menu."
A gasp rippled through the crowd. A hunter's or chef's Full Course was their soul laid bare on a plate. To share it was an act of immense intimacy and trust.
Indra: He nodded to Helia, then to Rias. A silent agreement passed between them. They were leaving this world soon. Let their legacy be one of shared understanding, not mystery.
Massive screens lit up, displaying a beautifully organized catalog.
A Selection of Discoveries (From Logs #1-1050):
#128: 'Distortion World Mycelium': A fungus that grows on antimatter decay. Produces spores that can temporarily phase matter. Potential: Medical bypass of physical barriers, construction in impossible spaces. #450: 'Sky Deer's Atmospheric Chord Samples': The literal sound of weather patterns given tasty form. Potential: Climate control, emotion-manipulating cuisine, sonic therapy. #751: 'Abyssal Pressure Pearls' from Ocean King's trench. Potential: Immense energy storage, gravity cooking, density manipulation. #920: 'Acoustic Crystals' from Rias's sonic caves. Potential: Data storage in soundwaves, resonant weaponry, architectural harmony fields. #1000: 'Symphony of the Silent Cosmos' flower. Potential: Perfect spatio-temporal navigation, treatment for dimensional sickness, meditation aid.
The hall was dead silent, save for the frantic scratching of notes on edible parchment.
Director Helia: "And now… the Uzumaki Sovereigns' Full Course."
The screens changed. Eight beautiful, holographic plates appeared.
Appetizer: Chrono-Scarab Tartare. "A taste of fleeting yesterday. Awakens nostalgic clarity." Soup: Heracles' Tears Consommé. "A single, colossal tear of the Mammoth King, clarified into a broth that teaches the weight of time and the strength of patience." Fish Dish: Ocean King's Pressure-Grilled Voidfin. "A creature that lives in the crushing doubt at the edge of reality. Seasoned with deep-sea salts that whisper of forgotten pressures." Meat Dish: Bambina's Playful Heart Roast. "Not a physical heart, but the captured essence of chaotic joy from the Monkey King's territory. Served with Frenzy Moss reduction for exhilarating, controlled frenzy." Main Course: Palkia-Dialga Ribeye. "The flesh of a conceptual beast born from Indra's own power, grazed on the grasses of a Spacetime Labyrinth. Every bite shifts in texture and age on the tongue." Salad: Sonic-Wood Grove Salad. "Leaves and fruits from Rias's created forests. Each crunch is a different chord, cleansing the palate with harmonies." Dessert: Distortion World Soufflé. "A confection of antimatter-meringue and gravitational berry compote. It collapses and reinflates in the mouth, a delicious paradox." Drink: The Genesis Marble Elixir. "Not the marble itself, but a distilled essence of its contained equilibrium. A sip that tastes of law, song, and perfect, captured stillness."
The silence that followed was absolute. Then, it erupted into a thunderous standing ovation. This was not just a menu; it was a biography. A saga. It spoke of training under Kings, wrestling with cosmic forces, and creating beauty from distortion. It was the most audacious, profound Full Course ever presented to the IGO.
From the wings, a giant of a man watched, a soft smile on his face. He had hair like a lion's mane and a presence that was both gentle and impossibly vast. He waited for the ovation to die down before walking onto the stage. The crowd hushed again, in sheer reverence.
Ichiryuu: The leader of the IGO, the Gourmet Knight, stood before them. He looked at them not as a superior to subordinates, nor as a king to petitioners, but as one sovereign to another.
Ichiryuu: "A meal," he began, his voice a warm rumble, "is a conversation. Between ingredient and chef. Between chef and eater. Between the past of the ingredient and the future of the one who consumes it." He gestured to their holographic Full Course. "Your entire journey has been one, long, magnificent conversation with this world. You listened. You argued. You composed duets. And you finally spoke a word of law so firm it silenced a scream of nothingness."
He placed a hand on each of their shoulders. The contact was not patronizing; it was grounding, connecting. "The Pioneer Medal honors what you did for us. But I am here to thank you for what you did for it." He looked upward, as if seeing the entire Gourmet World. "You showed it respect. You treated its most destructive child not as a pest to be exterminated, but as a force to be understood and given a place. That is true gourmet spirit. You are not just pioneers. You are Kindred."
To be called "Kindred" by Ichiryuu was a title beyond any medal. The crowd understood its weight.
Indra: He bowed his head, deeply. "You honor us, Master Ichiryuu. We were students here. We only sought to learn its language."
Rias: She curtsied. "And to sing a small song back to it, in gratitude."
Ichiryuu's eyes twinkled. "Your song is now part of its eternal chorus. Now, come. There are some rowdy young kings who have been begging me for an introduction."
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Training the Heavenly Kings
They were led to a private, ultra-secure training ground within the IGO HQ—a biodome that could simulate any environment. Inside, waiting with barely contained energy, were the Four Heavenly Kings. They were teenagers now, taller, sharper, thrumming with immense power, but still bearing the eager, competitive fire of their younger selves.
Toriko: He was the first to step forward, his grin fierce. "So you're the ones who bagged the Devourer! That's one hell of an ingredient! I wanna taste that containment field!"
Coco: The stoic poison expert adjusted his glasses, his precognition likely giving him a headache just from looking at Indra's layered existence. "The probability clouds around you are… crystalline. Ordered. It's unsettling and beautiful."
Sani: He flipped his hair, which now seemed to have a life of its own. "Your harmony is exquisite. The resonant balance between your two auras… it's a work of art. I must know how you maintain such flawless mutual aesthetics under pressure!"
Zebra: He stomped, the ground cracking. "ENOUGH CHIT-CHAT! THEY'RE STRONG! LET'S SEE WHAT THEY'VE GOT!" His voice was a physical assault.
Ichiryuu chuckled. "They've been like this since the news broke. Indra, Rias. Would you mind… giving them a lesson? Not in power. They have that. In perspective."
Indra and Rias shared a look. This was an unexpected responsibility, but a fitting one.
Indra: "Very well. A single exercise. Your goal is simple: take this from me." He held up a single, ordinary-looking apple from the human world.
The four Kings blinked. An apple?
Zebra: "YOU MOCKING US, OLD MAN?!"
Rias: She smiled. "The ingredient is not the point. The taking is."
Toriko didn't hesitate. He moved, a blur of raw power, his hand shooting out to snatch the apple. His fingers passed through it. The apple was there, but it existed in a different spatial phase. A simple Palkia-based displacement.
Indra: "Power without precision is a storm that misses its target."
Coco exhaled, launching a barrage of invisible poison needles from angles calculated to intercept the apple's future position. Each needle hit empty air. Indra was applying minute temporal shifts, making the apple exist a fraction of a second in the past relative to the attack.
Indra: "Foresight is valuable. But can you foresee a history that is being gently rewritten?"
Sani's hair shot out, strands aiming to ensnare the apple with perfect, gentle control. The hair strands began to vibrate, then hum, then suddenly tied themselves into elegant, useless knots. Rias had matched their resonant frequency and "persuaded" them to braid themselves.
Rias: "Control is not force. It is invitation. Your own tools must sing your song, not just obey your shout."
Zebra, furious, drew a massive breath. "VOICE CANNON!"
A devastating shockwave of pure sound obliterated the space where Indra stood. When the dust cleared, Indra was unharmed, holding the apple, standing behind Zebra. He had used the shockwave's own concussive force to open a momentary spatial rift and step through it.
Indra: "A roar that shatters mountains is impressive. But a whisper that moves through the cracks in the world is inescapable."
The four Kings stood, panting, frustrated, but their eyes were alight with a new kind of understanding. They hadn't been outfought. They had been… out-thought. Out-conceptualized.
Toriko: He laughed, a loud, hearty sound. "I get it! It's not about being stronger than the ingredient! It's about understanding its place in the whole damn kitchen!"
Coco: "Precision… down to the conceptual level. To hunt a thing, you must first understand the laws it lives by. And if you can't, you must be ready to propose new ones."
Sani: He was staring at his hair, trying to un-knot it. "Harmony as a weapon… as a tool… The aesthetics of application! This is a revelation!"
Zebra: He grumbled, crossing his arms. "FINE. IT'S CLEVER. STILL WANNA PUNCH THAT VOID THING, THOUGH."
For the next few hours, it became a true training session. Indra taught them basic spatial awareness exercises, how to sense the "grain" of reality. Rias taught them resonant listening—how to hear the true frequency of an opponent's attack, or an ingredient's cellular structure. They shared not just techniques, but the philosophy behind them: sovereignty, dialogue, and respectful assertion.
As they left, the Four Kings were deep in discussion, already planning expeditions to test these new paradigms. They had been given a key to a door they didn't know existed.
________________________________________
Final Expeditions & Departure
With their fame now a shield and a tool, Indra and Rias embarked on a series of deliberate, final expeditions. They visited the corners of the Gourmet World they had missed, not as fugitives or desperate hunters, but as honored guests and observant scholars.
[ Discovery #1051: 'The Whispering Mangroves of Melancholy Bay.' Trees that absorb sorrow and secrete a sweet, cathartic syrup. Potential: Emotional healing cuisine, psychological medicine.]
[ Discovery #1065: 'Starlight Silkworms' in the Celestial Canopy. Moths that weave cocoons from solidified starlight, producing a fabric that is weightless, stronger than adamantium, and regulates temperature perfectly. Rias immediately began designing new outfits.]
[ Discovery #1077: 'The Kitchen of the Ancients.' A ruin where the very tools were alive and could cook autonomously based on the chef's intent. They spent a week there, learning ancient culinary techniques that had been lost for millennia, their system logging every detail.]
[ Discovery #1080: 'The Seed of the Next World Tree.' Found in the heart of the Acropolis's foothills. A pulsating, warm seed that held the blueprint for a future ecosystem. They did not take it. They documented it. Potential: Planetary regeneration, ultimate life-force ingredient.]
Their time was nearly up. One evening, standing on a peak overlooking the vast, impossible tapestry of the Gourmet World, the system chimed.
[ Multiversal Return Protocol: Available. ]
[ Anchors: Kumogakure, Temporal Synchronization: Stable. ]
[ Ready for Translocation in 72 hours. ]
They looked at each other. The Gourmet World had forged them into something beyond what they had imagined. They had become celebrities, saviors, teachers, and kindred to legends. They had a Pioneer Medal, the respect of Ichiryuu, and the eager admiration of the next generation.
Rias: "It's been quite a dinner party."
Indra: "The most enriching meal of my life. But our table back home needs us."
She nodded, taking his hand. "We have a throne to return to. And a storm to bring with us."
They had one last visit to make. To the Four Beast Kings, to say a proper, grateful goodbye. And then, to the foot of the Acropolis of Feasts itself. They would not ascend it now. That was a challenge for another life, perhaps. They stood before it, feeling its immense, silent call—the pinnacle of all flavor and challenge.
Indra: "We'll be back. One day. For the main course."
With a final, lingering look at the world that had remade them, they activated the protocol. Space-time folded around them, not in the chaotic rift of the Distortion World, but in a smooth, sovereign transition commanded by Indra's will. The vibrant, flavorsome chaos of the Gourmet World faded, replaced by the familiar, charged, and waiting atmosphere of their own world—the Elemental Nations.
They were no longer just Indra and Rias Uzumaki of Kumogakure. They were the Sovereigns who had conquered a 3100, dined with legends, and returned home with the appetite of gods. The shinobi world would never know what hit it.
End of Chapter – 67.