"A shokugeki? That's impossible, isn't it?" Nene Kinokuni shook her head.
"Both sides have to agree for a shokugeki to happen. If the other party digs in and refuses, then it means nothing at all."
A shokugeki really was a solid solution—but it came with huge problems. Right now, the Research Society Alliance held the upper hand. They weren't afraid of Central at all. And Central didn't have any clean, legitimate ways to deal with them.
Going to challenge them to a shokugeki now would mean putting up outrageous stakes. As long as the other side wasn't brain-dead, they'd never agree.
Put yourself in their shoes. Life's comfortable, everything's fine—and suddenly someone shows up demanding a shokugeki, with stakes that would destroy that comfortable life. Who in their right mind would accept?
"It has meaning. Of course it does." Eizan Etsuya sneered.
"Did you all forget how that guy threatened us before? We've got plenty of methods too. Threats in the shadows, mockery, humiliation, provocation—use whatever it takes. As long as we bait them into the shokugeki ring, that's all that matters."
Eizan had gone all in.
It wasn't that he wasn't afraid of Kael and the others. It was because he'd realized he had no choice but to gamble.
He was already firmly on Azami Nakiri's side. And now Azami was being crushed on all fronts. If Azami fell, Eizan was certain he'd be dragged down and purged right alongside him.
Sure, there was another path—cut ties with Azami. But the moment he did that, Azami would strip him of his Elite Ten seat without hesitation.
Eizan was an ambitious man. He wanted to build his own commercial empire. For someone with no background, no resources, and no safety net, ambition alone wasn't enough. What he needed were external forces—platforms, influence, and backing.
Luck was too unreliable. How many people in this world truly climbed from nothing to the very top?
So Eizan refused to gamble on luck. Instead, he gambled on power.
And right now, the Elite Ten seat was his springboard.
Even if Elite Ten authority disappeared after graduation, he could still use that time to lay his foundations—build connections, groom successors, maybe even recruit talents capable of becoming Elite Ten themselves.
If that happened, then even after graduation, he'd still have people inside Totsuki who could wield Elite Ten authority for him.
The odds of that succeeding were slim—almost nonexistent—but the Elite Ten seat was still irreplaceable to him.
He couldn't afford to lose it.
His ambition wouldn't let him settle for mediocrity. And since he'd already thrown his lot in with Azami—and crossed Kael in the process—there was only one option left.
Fight to the bitter end.
That was why Eizan was willing to be this ruthless. As long as he didn't provoke Kael directly, he didn't care what happened to anyone else.
"Eizan, you're not acting like yourself anymore," Eishi Tsukasa said quietly, watching him with unease.
Tsukasa had followed Azami in the first place because Azami had sold him a dream.
Tsukasa despised most people who ate his food. In his eyes, they weren't worthy of tasting his cooking.
But no matter how detached he was, he was still human. Still a chef who had to survive in the real world. Total isolation was impossible.
Azami had exploited that weakness.
Even now, Tsukasa felt Azami's methods were drifting away from what he'd expected—but the end goal hadn't changed. That was why he'd stayed.
But looking at Eizan now… hearing this plan…
It sent chills down his spine.
At this point, Eizan's methods were indistinguishable from those of the Midnight Chefs.
"My state? I've never felt better," Eizan said coldly. "Whether you agree or not, I'm doing this. This is the only way to break the deadlock."
He glanced at the hesitant Elite Ten members, then turned and walked out without another word.
"That guy… he's not actually losing his mind, is he?" Rindō Kobayashi muttered as the door slammed shut. "I don't remember him being that fragile."
"He's not," Tsukasa replied, shaking his head. "But the situation really is that bad. We're on the losing end."
"We're third-years. At worst, we can grit our teeth and hold out until graduation."
"But Eizan still has a full year left."
Tsukasa understood perfectly why Eizan was desperate. They could walk away soon. Eizan couldn't.
"His actions are going to cause massive backlash," Nene said grimly. "Once the Research Society Alliance strikes back, it'll be far worse. They have Kael—and several chefs already comparable to the Elite Ten."
"If they counterattack, we'll be in real trouble."
That was the dilemma they faced.
Do nothing and slowly get cornered.
Or gamble everything like Eizan—low odds, but at least a chance to turn things around.
The problem was, they weren't Eizan. They didn't have his towering ambition. There was no reason to bet their futures like this.
What they didn't realize was that the moment they sided with Azami, their futures had already been locked in.
"It doesn't matter anymore," Tsukasa said quietly. "Once Eizan moves, that means Central is moving."
"And since we're members of Central, once the conflict starts, we're dragged in—unless you're willing to quit Central right now."
He saw it clearly.
Eizan hadn't been asking for opinions. He'd been notifying them—dragging them onto the same sinking ship.
"So what's your choice, Tsukasa?" Rindō asked softly. "Think carefully."
She had joined Azami because she was worried about Tsukasa. Now that he saw how bad things were, if he still chose to charge straight ahead…
Then she needed to think about her own future.
She wasn't about to make an enemy of Kael.
"I…" Tsukasa clenched his teeth. "I'll… wait and see."
"I see." Rindō exhaled. "Then I'm out."
She stood up without hesitation.
"I'm not gambling my future."
Leaving now would mean losing her Elite Ten seat—but that was a small price compared to earning Kael's permanent hostility.
Rindō's decisiveness stunned the others.
They hesitated because Elite Ten power was intoxicating. They couldn't let go.
But Rindō had never joined for Azami's promises in the first place. She'd joined for Tsukasa.
Now that she was disappointed in him, there was nothing left to hold her back.
By the time Eizan made his move, it would be too late to quit. They'd be forcibly bound to Central.
Rindō went straight to Azami and formally resigned from the Elite Ten, withdrawing from Central entirely.
Azami was dumbfounded.
He never imagined even Rindō would abandon him.
He tried to persuade her—but she refused to stay another second.
Before leaving, she offered one final warning.
"Prepare yourself. What's coming next will be a storm."
Azami, of course, didn't listen.
Rindō's departure shocked many people. She was the Second Seat, a Five-Star Chef—giving up that identity outright was almost unthinkable.
But the reason became clear soon enough.
Led by Eizan, Central launched a relentless assault on the Research Society Alliance.
Their methods were vile—personal humiliation, threats to personal safety, even targeting family businesses.
The tactics were utterly shameless.
Many people tried to ignore them, but under sustained pressure, they were forced into shokugeki after shokugeki.
The stakes were always the same.
Expulsion.
Some people woke up in time and refused—but within a few days, several Alliance members were expelled regardless.
"That's the situation," Hisako Arato said grimly. "We're completely on the defensive. They've gone feral—biting anyone they can."
"Erina, what do you think?" Kael asked.
After hearing everything, Kael was disgusted by Eizan's methods—but there was no denying it.
Eizan had ignited a full-scale war between the two factions.
Erina had already taken her first step by forming the Alliance. Kael had been wondering when she'd finally confront Azami head-on.
Now Eizan had handed them the excuse on a silver platter.
"We can't keep taking hits," Erina Nakiri said firmly. "If they want shokugeki, then we'll give it to them."
Her fear was gone.
Seeing her people expelled—students who didn't deserve to be thrown out like this—lit a fire in her chest.
She wasn't made of clay.
Did they really think her 'queen' persona was just for show?
"Good," Kael said, smiling faintly. "Then the Research Society Alliance declares all-out war on Central."
"All shokugeki. Stakes: expulsion."
The smile he wore sent a chill through the room.
No matter who won, Totsuki would bleed.
But there was no other choice.
They couldn't expect mad dogs to suddenly stop biting.
"A free-for-all?" Soma Yukihira grinned. "Sounds fun. Then I'll take that Tsukasa guy—"
Before he could finish, he was smacked hard in the side.
"Soma, don't be stupid," Yuki Yoshino snapped. "This is expulsion stakes. Tsukasa is First Seat—an actual Five-Star Chef. You're strong, but you have zero chance right now."
She wasn't wrong.
In the original story, this was where the power curve went completely off the rails. Soma suddenly leaped to Tsukasa's level and beyond.
But this was reality.
Without plot armor, Soma stood no chance.
"There's no need to worry," Kael said calmly. "As long as we defeat Central and take back the Director's seat, everyone who was expelled can be reinstated."
From the start, victory had never truly been in doubt.
The moment this war began, its purpose had already been fulfilled.