As the food curse spirit stood before Ryuji, the moment it activated its domain, its previous form crumbled into a pile of ingredients and faded away. Moments later, the food curse spirit reappeared in mid-air, its grotesque figure looming above, laughter echoing through the warped sky.
"Hahaha! In this realm, my food space, everyone succumbs to the craving for food. And once you eat, you become one with the feast! Hahahaha!" it declared, eyes locking onto Ryuji with triumphant pride.
It seemed to silently taunt Ryuji—mocking him for not finishing the job earlier. Now, with the domain in effect, he surely stood no chance, or so it believed.
"Sorcerer, you should know that in a domain, even if you can resist for a short while, eventually, even you won't be able to fight off the craving for food. Hahaha!"
Such was the unique power of this domain.
The food curse spirit's domain was known as the food space.
It forced any inevitable attack into an irresistible compulsion to eat.
No wonder Ryuji felt an urge to eat as soon as he stepped into this domain.
"A pretty good domain!"
Ryuji's lips curved into a slight smile. Was he panicked?
Not in the least.
If this was all the spirit had, it was far from enough to make Ryuji flinch.
Instead, he calmly evaluated the domain.
"Of all the domains I've seen, yours could easily rank in the top ten."
Perhaps even fifth place.
"What?!"
The food curse spirit, taken aback by Ryuji's fearless and dismissive attitude, was infuriated.
"Arrogant fool! Let's see how long you can keep up that facade!"
But the spirit's confidence did not last long.
Because, after quickly scanning his surroundings, Ryuji seemed done playing.
He brought his hands together, locking eyes with the food curse spirit.
"You…"
The once-smug grin of the spirit froze instantly.
The food curse spirit wasn't foolish. It could tell that Ryuji was preparing to launch his own domain.
However, the spirit was newly formed and knew little of who Ryuji was or his reputation in the world of sorcery.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have dared to show such arrogance.
Just as the spirit's smile faded, Ryuji's composed voice rang out.
"Domain Expansion – Malevolent Shrine!"
Facing an opponent's domain with a domain of his own was Ryuji's way of showing respect.
Whir!
The moment his words fell, a shrine rose from the earth behind Ryuji.
White bones piled up, gradually covering the scattered food around them.
The clear sky darkened, replaced by a blood-red moon.
The entire area turned a terrifying crimson.
When it came to domain battles, it was a contest of whose cursed energy and domain power were superior.
And now, it was clear that Ryuji held the upper hand. The food space of the food curse spirit was effortlessly overtaken and crushed by the Malevolent Shrine.
"This…"
The food curse spirit stood in shock.
It had considered that the human's domain could be formidable.
But it never expected that its own domain would be so thoroughly obliterated in less than half a minute.
Was this what an insurmountable power difference felt like?
"What is this?"
The others trapped within the domain also looked on in astonishment.
Without the food space's compelling need to eat, everyone's mental state was restored. Now, they observed their surroundings, disbelief evident on their faces.
Especially Erina.
"So this is what it means to be a sorcerer?"
It wasn't as if she hadn't seen Ryuji fight before, but this time felt different.
Ryuji's power was boundless, like an ocean with no end in sight.
She thought she'd overestimated him before, but now she realized even that had been an understatement. Just who was he?
"That's not quite right."
Hearing Erina's amazed comment, Alice, standing beside her, chuckled and raised a hand.
"What you should say is, 'This is Ryuji.' After all, even among all the sorcerers, Ryuji is the most extraordinary!"
There was no doubt in anyone's mind about Ryuji's capabilities.
"That's true! Absolutely!"
Even though Kaguya saw Alice as a romantic rival, she nodded in agreement when she heard her praise Ryuji.
It was as if sharing admiration for Ryuji made them allies.
Senzaemon, watching this unfold, turned to look at Alice.
He had once considered fostering a connection between his granddaughter and Ryuji for future benefits. But it had only been a passing thought; he never seriously pursued it.
After all, he cherished Alice too much.
Yet, without any intervention from him, Alice had taken an interest in Ryuji on her own.
Well, children will forge their own paths, he thought with a resigned smile, shaking his head.
"Do you understand now? In this era, what is cooking worth? What is Totsuki's Elite Ten worth? Uh, wait—there might not even be an Elite Ten for long!"
Especially after their grandfather had mentioned revamping the Elite Ten's prestige by May 7th to foster a healthier culinary culture at Totsuki and encourage true passion for cooking.
Alice leaned closer to Erina and whispered.
She had tied with Erina in cooking skill this time around.
The competition between them now felt pointless to Alice.
And from now on, she had set her sights on a new goal.
With that thought, Alice glanced at Ryuji with a bigger smile.
Because he was her new objective!
"This is impossible! How can this be?! How can you be so powerful?!"
Meanwhile, the food curse spirit continued to scream in disbelief.