Notes:

Hey Everyone! Zancrowe Here!

STOP! HALT! DÉTENTE!

This website's update system has been broken for like two (2) months by now, so if you find this Chapter, and you haven't read anything from Classique for around that period of time, head back! This is the Fourth Round of the Finals, so make sure you didn't accidentally skip any of the prior ones!

If you are caught up, or don't care, then, welcome back, and carry onwards. This chapter was way too intense to make, and it took so much out of me, but, I really have to offer each of you my immense thanks. The last chapter had such a great amount of feedback and reviews that it honestly made me tear up. Erina vs. Dove was a challenge unlike any other, and I am so, so glad you all enjoyed it. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, and I hope Soma vs. Asahi offers a similar level of enjoyment to you all.

To Feona: This website has been broken for months. How the fuck do you want me to update on schedule if I can't even log into my account half the time?! If you're that interested in knowing if my update schedule changes, please, follow me on:

Twitter: ~ Zancrowe ~

Disclaimer: Don't own Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma.

As the entire world was still reeling from the declarations made by the King of Noirs, and all the evidence he featured to salaciously illustrate his point, the stadium itself was at a total uproar.

Asahi Saiba had forced basically all of Tootsuki, the Neo-Noirs and even the illustrious WGO to play along with his master plan, effectively holding the culinary world hostage at this point.

Up above, Jouichirou looked down at the scene with a peculiar mix of wariness and pride. It was not what he should be feeling, but if his elder boy was good at something other than cooking, then it clearly was at making quite the scene. And demanding all the attention as he did so. And that's not to mention what his youngest was currently about to do…

"I am conflicted if we should intervene or not," he heard Gin mutter, his friend sounding just as conflicted as he felt. "On one hand, this spits in the face of everything Tootsuki stands for, which is beyond insulting, but on the other…"

"He did kinda do our job for us," Riko concluded, looking down at the scene with a worried expression. Not so much over what Asahi was doing, but more because of her elder boy, currently still in the corner. "…With Decora revealed the ruling is now, I hope, completely fair, and with it, most of Azami's backhanded tactics are now out in the open. He has manipulated so many people, so I don't much sympathize with him if this is how his once illustrious career ends, but…"

"Yeah, your boy is still involved, and that puts little Nao in danger still," Jouichirou noted, his eyes shifting to every participant down there. Dove had not yet returned, and it concerned him how the young girl was holding up. Ashitaro was hunched over in a corner, and he couldn't tell if the young man had even been paying any attention to the uproar currently underway. Julius was the only one from the fractured Neo-Noirs side currently focused on Asahi, but his expression was hard to read. Eizan was similarly watching what was unfolding, but rather than focused on Asahi, the young yakuza had turned to Soma with the biggest "what the hell?!" expression imaginable. Isshiki was, on the other hand, currently talking to Erina, likely checking up on her after such a grueling set of duels. And, having noted that, the princess herself… "Little Erina looks utterly exhausted," Jouichirou added, his frow burrowing out of concern, "Can't say I can't understand why. I may have dueled a bunch of kids back in the day, back-to-back, but going at it against someone of little Dove's caliber, even pulling out and completing a recipe of Tamako's that I never quite managed to, has got to be… well, I don't think I could have pulled that off any better than she did."

"That's because she's utterly amazing!"

The trio of Jouichirou, Gin and Riko all turned, surprised at the sudden arrival of someone whose voice didn't belong to any of them. It wasn't Jun either, who was standing by them, and had turned as well. It was here they were met by the sight of the current Acting Director and his wife, as Soe and Leonora Nakiri walked into their assigned area, the latter grinning from ear to ear at her little girl's amazing accomplishment.

"Oh, sorry, I can't hear anyone mention Erina without me automatically gushing about her," Leonora explained, before she turned towards Jouichirou, "The rest of you I am familiar with, but you, you're Soma's father, correct? Quite the boy you raised there."

"More like he raised me if I'm honest," Jouichirou commented with a fond smile. "But it's a pleasure to meet you, formally I mean, Leonora. With the way little Erina speaks about you, I didn't think you were even real. No human is that perfect."

"D'aww, really?"

"Hey, I gush over her just as much!" a jealous Soe quickly cut in, pouting childishly, before he shook his head and turned towards Gin. "T-That aside, Gin, while I am very much against trying to "save" Azami, if we let Asahi just do as he pleases this could turn very ugly, very fast. I am pondering how to put a stop to this in a way that doesn't completely wreck all the efforts the Elite Ten have made to get us this far…"

"Just let him rot."

"S-Sweetheart, I understand, but the school…" Soe tried to clarify after his wife just muttered her "advice". Leonora just shrugged, her eyes down at the stage, as a very angry Urara seemed to be mouthing off to Asahi, warning him that she and Yua were contractually obligated to finish this Intercontinental Shokugeki, so he better not even humor the possibility of replacing them. Priorities, she supposed.

"I mean," Gin began, "With everything Asahi revealed, we could request an investigation, and given how it surely will reveal foul play from probably the very start, most likely all the way back to when our First Seat Nene Kinokuni was eliminated, we could realistically make this entire event null and void, but…"

"But?" Soe asked, concerned.

"But this is business, and a lot of money was thrown at this," Riko replied for Gin, "The six other schools are not going to just stand idly by as we excuse ourselves about internal corruption and WGO shenanigans. They'll demand a redo, which means this event would be started again, which the WGO would probably deny because of their own internal shitstorm, to put it lightly, which means this whole thing goes to the courts and we probably end up years in a struggle for nothing while holding these kids' very futures hostage just because the adults wanted to clash egos against each other."

"Like I said," Leonora added, "Let him just rot!"

"I mean, my priority will always be the students," Soe noted. "…If it came down to that, I'd rather just let thing play out and see what can be salvaged from all of this."

"Agreed."

The whole group gave pause, again, then they turned. Someone else had just spoke up. Again.

"Dr. Arato?!" Soe cried out, shocked to see the good doctor just appear out of seemingly nothingness. "How long have you been here?! Why are you here?!"

"I recently arrived," the doctor replied, in monotone as always, "Your father was very moved by Erina and Mana's reconciliation, and he outright threatened me to leave his side and come offer my services here, since he foresaw Erina having quite a grueling match. It turns out he was right, so I do intend to go down there shortly and check up on her."

"I-I see, father can be very stubborn," Soe noted.

"Old man Senzaemon made it clear from the start his priority would always be Erina and Alice's wellbeing, so this isn't a surprise," Gin added.

"Oh, don't lie," Leonora teased, "You just saw Mana get down on all fours and you rushed over."

"That is a very inappropriate way to phrase that statement," Hiroto flatly noted, his eyes on Leonora, who just laughed. Jun could be seen blushing at those comments, while Riko just pouted.

"Hey, focus, we're not kids any longer," she called out, "And we need to decide how we intervene now. And while I agree with Leonora to just let Azami rot, if Asahi's plans involve sinking Tootsuki with him, then…"

As the group all seemed lost on what to do, the only one amongst them to sport a confident smile, as he stared at the scene developing down below, just spoke his piece. Because it was obvious…

"I don't know why you all sound so confused," Jouichirou said, "Or did you not just hear Soma say he didn't quite agree with the way Asahi was going about with this? Let's just sit back and watch, this isn't our fight any longer. Those kids have this, and right now, Soma won't just sit idly by as anything threatens Erina's wellbeing, not even Asahi himself…"

And, none of the other adults could refute that, at least, not now. And they all turned to watch, alongside the entire world, as the screens clearly showed…

Soma Yukihira vs. Asahi Saiba

"I will take you to court if you replace me as the hostess, you hear me?!"

"Yeah, yeah, calm down, you can stay," Asahi waved her off, since Urara was shouting at him from the top of her lungs, microphone and all. It almost left him deaf. Still, he had no intention of taking her or Yua out of this. They were beloved by the audience, and he needed to look good, so it helped his image to keep these girls around. However… "I don't suppose you want to pull a page out of my little sister's book and make this into a Shokugeki too? Maybe make it so I return your mom's knife if I lose while I'm at it, eh Soma?"

Soma just shook his head.

"Nah, I'm good," Soma noted, and Asahi smirked. He could tell Soma wasn't as assured over this as he was trying to play himself as. "All I need to do is defeat you, which eliminates you from this whole thing, and things go back to normal, right?"

"I think you're presuming a lot there," Asahi countered, "There's no going back to anything after this. One, you can't win. And two, even if you did, by, let's say, I have a heart attack mid duel and you get the victory like that, after everything I have and will expose about daddy dearest, why, his fake academy, the entire Central movement, the WGO and, of course, Tootsuki itself will be dismantled completely. There's no saving something so rotten to the core Soma."

"…I have no interest in helping Azami," Soma repeated, "But are you sure you want to drag everything he did out in the open like this?"

"What? You sound dangerously close to actually defending him there," Asahi noted with a little laugh, "You helped me with this, mind you. Your comments, what started the whole Protect Erina movement, gave way for me to be able to do this. Azami's reputation was spotless before, no thanks to Tootsuki itself outright erasing every trace of his existence rather than, ya know, suing him to oblivion for child abuse and the dozen other corrupt things he's done."

"I don't disagree Asahi," Soma responded, and while Asahi just smiled, because he knew Soma was very out of his depth her, Erina looked on, worried. This was getting out of hand. As much as she wanted her father to be held accountable, doing it so publicly, and with Tootsuki right in the middle, was going to ruin her family name for generations to come. But of course, when she felt most uneasy, Soma added, "But even the bad things he did, some, I imagine, have merit…"

"What stupid thing are you saying –?"

"What about Dove?"

And Asahi outright flinched. His eyes widened, and slowly, his smile lessened and his eyes sharpened.

"My…" he noted, and his tone had drifted considerably. Gone was the charm and excitability. Replacing it, instead, was something darker. "…I didn't think you'd go down so low."

"Hey man, you're the one putting her at risk," Soma doubled down, firmly. "As well as Erina, which I won't allow. So, I know you love to hear yourself talk, but let's begin this. You can have you villain monologue if you beat me."

"Man, and I tried… tried not to make this too personal," Asahi lamented, but his eyes told a different story entirely.

Soma and Asahi still moved to their respective sides, and as the five WGO judges, who were still frozen on the spot, unsure if this thing was legit or not anymore, but without any word to stop it, just decided to play along for now.

Mana's eyes shifted from Soma to Asahi, and back again. The boy she had been very against her daughter dating (with what authority had she even requested that, she now asked herself in hindsight), versus her daughter's elder half-brother, currently putting the nails in the coffin of what is, or rather, was her ex-husband's career. It was poetic, she'd note, but she could understand why Erina was so against it being done this way. Exposing Azami put everything Tootsuki did into question, and that would, in turn, slowly lead to the collapse of Tootsuki Academy as a whole.

Azami, for his part, was still shellshocked by it all. He just sat there, staring at nothing, his mind racing. Did his son really have more to blackmail him with? Was everything he did now out there, utterly exposed? Did he need Soma Yukihira, of all people, to win this? To save him?! Or was that even worse? To be at the mercy of the boy who had turned his little girl into this rebellious youth that now stood against him and against everything he tried to do for her…?

"Just when I think things can't get any crazier," Eizan noted, frowning, "Of course it's this idiot Yukihira who proves me wrong."

"He does have a natural talent to hinder villainous plots in seems," Isshiki noted with a proud smile. "We just need to believe he'll be able to pull it off just one more time…"

"He will," Erina stated, firmly, her eyes on her boyfriend fully. "After all… he promised."

"Alright!" Urara announced, her hand raised, "In what has effectively become a hostage situation, but given how we're all suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, we can't look away, let's start this thing! You shady judges you, our theme please!"

Anne frowned at the comment, but she couldn't quite argue against it. The fallout of this was going to be insane, and if Asahi had his way, both Tootsuki and the WGO could very well fall today. God, how would the culinary world deal with such a blow? Every single graduate from this school, their studies now placed into question, their merits now doubted. And every single star given by the WGO, soon to be utterly worthless. This young man, Asahi Saiba, had done the impossible and outright had the power to reshape the culinary landscape completely.

And… only Soma Yukihira stood in his way?

Still, Anne, alongside her coworkers, hoping that what came next wasn't the unemployment line, gave the signal, and soon the screen began to flicker for what felt like the last time ever. As Soma and Asahi looked on, it soon gave them their theme.

Soma frowned.

Asahi laughed.

Eggs

"And we have the theme!" Urara announced, as soon Yua joined her in her stance, before both girls signaled what was, effectively, the beginning of the end. "Representing Tootsuki Academy, our Seventh Seat, the only student to be reaccepted into this Academy and who threatened to use us all as stepping stones for his career, twice mind you, now our last chance to even finish our studies… Soma Yukihira!"

"A-And opposing him!" Yua carried on, outright shaking in place, "Formerly representing the Neo-Noirs, now representing himself… I think? A-Anyways, the King of Noirs himself, who has effectively made this entire event about himself…!"

"He's a Nakiri alright…"

"Please-don't-antagonize-the-bad-man-Urara!" Yua quickly begged, "Asahi Saiba!"

"…You could have walked away," Asahi softly stated, his eyes on Soma, as the music began to blast and the lights began to illuminate the grand stage. "You don't owe this school anything."

"…Nah, I do," Soma countered, his eyes on Asahi. "They welcomed me back here. Heck, they helped me get back, even when this wasn't even allowed. It's because of me you got involved, so I'm the one that has to make sure you don't hurt them. After all…" Soma added, and despite how obvious it was, it was still somewhat surprising to hear him voice it so earnestly, "…I am a Tootsuki student."

"…Good luck with that," Asahi replied with a playful wink. Soma just stared, because despite how much he was trying to fake it until he made it, his hands were already starting to shake. No, not now, not yet. Just hold on for two more hours…

"Shokugeki…!" Urara and Yua announced in unison, and the entire world watched as the very rules of the culinary industry were about to be rewritten, "…Start!"

Both Soma and Asahi quickly moved to their respective sides, with all eyes shifting from one contestant to the other, everyone utterly terrified of what would happen if Soma Yukihira failed to measure up to Asahi Saiba. Still, despite the wariness in the air, so thick it was almost visible, Soma moved along as if he didn't notice. He took off the bandanna he had tied to his arm, and wrapped it over his head, and got to work.

Soma quickly begun to work on his prep. For better or worse, he had already clashed against Asahi (poorly granted), and with this very theme. He wasn't sure if this had been a coincidence, or if the WGO, or even one of the Noirs themselves (with admin privileges given how they now possessed all of Decora's credentials) had purposely picked this theme, but it didn't matter. He knew it was an uphill battle no matter the theme, so he had to simply push through.

'With all the training I did, I have to follow Master Shinomiya's best advice,' Soma thought to himself, as he took out several ingredients, chief amongst them a dozen fresh chicken eggs, 'Start simple. Get the basics down, then improve upon them. Against someone like Asahi, against any of the Neo-Noirs, I can't be careless. Build a solid foundation, then built on top of that, again, again and again until I surpass whatever this guy will throw at me.'

"Oh! Look at you go!" Asahi praised with all the mockery in the world, which only made Soma frown. "You already picked a dish? How very frightening. And here I am still undecided on what to make…"

"If you say so…" Soma simply retorted, smiling warily at Asahi. "Need any pointers?"

Asahi laughed in response. "I mean, if you wish to offer me your expert opinion, I'll gladly take it," Asahi told him, and while Soma had a retort ready to fire back at the guy, he gave pause. His eyes widened for a moment. He turned attention from the Noir before him, and to…

'Huh…?' Soma couldn't help but flinch at the sight, utterly caught off guard. 'We just started. And I went right to it… So when… When did Asahi already get so much prep ready?!'

Asahi had already, in what felt like a blink of an eye, a set of fully cut vegetables and herbs and spice all expertly divided across from his counter, his hands equipped with the two familiar knives that had cooked countless of the meals Soma had eaten growing up.

"Was I too fast for you?" Asahi taunted.

"…I did forget," Soma admitted, even if he forced a little grin, "You're quite good at handling both knives at once. The feared Cross Knives, was it?"

"Don't call it that!" Asahi quickly shot back. "I get the joke, and points for the reference, but I am so not calling my style such a stupid name. Makes it sound related to "cross-contamination", which is a big no-no for the FDA, so just stick to calling it dual-wielding or something like that," Asahi corrected, before he then pointed to Soma with his late mother's knife. "Still, you did me a solid by refusing to take this little one back! It is a wonderfully crafted piece, and works marvelously with your father's. Like they were made for each other. Although, you do have one that used to belong to my sis, so maybe since its engraved and all fancied up, you can milk some use out of it."

As Asahi taunted Soma, with the redhead trying to keep his focus in check, but slowly failing at that, murmurs began to spread, with everyone asking about what was being said. Asahi had the knives of Soma's parents? Soma had Erina's? Did this really make that big a difference?

Soma took one look to the side, where he could spot Erina watching him. For a split second he saw her worried expression, but she quickly shifted it into a supportive smile the moment they locked eyes, but Soma still saw it. She was worried, of course she was. He had been worried about her too, and despite everything, he still considered Erina to be a goal of his. Superior to himself. And if she had barely, barely managed to win by the slimmest of margins, could he realistically do the same?

He shook his head, mentally slapped his own hands like his father used to do to him and he later taught Megumi and Loren, before he forced himself to continue. He had the plan. How to start simplistically.

Oyakodon.

This Japanese Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl dish was very common, and one he occasionally practiced whenever he hung out with Ikumi and Kanichi. It was a great dish to experiment with, given how simple it was to make, yet how flavorful it was. So, he decided that he'd attempt the biggest experiment of his career now, despite how much, for once, the thought of experimenting and failing utterly terrified him. If he lost this, Erina was in danger. Nao was in danger. All his friends would be at risk, and… damn it, he couldn't lose!

And damn it, his hands would not stop shaking!

Soma bit his lower lip, and began.

Soma combined one cup of dashi, sake, soy sauce, and sugar in a ten-inch skillet and brought it all to a simmer over high heat. Adjusting the heat to maintain a strong simmer, Soma then began to stir in the onion and cooking it all, stirring occasionally, until the onion was half tender. He then added chicken pieces and cooked, stirring and turning the chicken occasionally, until the chicken was cooked through and the broth had been reduced by about half. Soma then moved quickly and began to stir in half of the scallions and a lot of mitsuba, before he then seasoned the broth with small portions of more soy sauce and sugar, trying to find the right balance for the rich, sweet-and-salty flavor he had been aiming for.

"Oyakodon, huh?" Asahi said with a little amusement. Soma tried to ignore him. "I can see your little plan. Start with something simple as a base, then add to it like a madman and try to reach a new level of deliciousness or, more likely, crash and burn trying."

"If you want to talk so much, you should do it after…" Soma tried to retorn, but as soon as he looked at Asahi, he saw just how much work the elder boy had already gotten done in such a short span of time. It was… frightening.

Asahi, for his part, had combined his handpicked fresh chicken eggs and paired them up with mustard, lemon juice, garlic, and his own recently smoked paprika in the bottom of a cup before he set that up in a small hand blender. He had carefully poured in canola oil and started blending all the ingredients together. The resulting mixture was a thick, creamy emulsion.

It dripped to a dreamy consistency, and the combination of the fresh, smokey scent made judges and audiences alike drool, as Asahi placed that mixture aside and, firmly grasping both of his knives at once, began to cut through a selection of fresh vegetables. It looked less like a chef making additional prep and more like a swordsman cutting through his latest victims. One swing, and he cut clean through it. And then he held part of it by the tip of one knife, before he cut it down with the other knife. Rinse. Repeat. It was like a dance, and utterly insane how he could be so versatile with just two knives.

The crowd looked on, and despite their better judgment, they couldn't see this as a fight between equals, but rather, as a poor nobody faced off against impossible odds forced to battle to the death against…

"Are you mad boy?" Asahi gleefully mocked, at the battle-weary Soma, who seemed to have lost this battle before it had even begun. "You choose to sacrifice yourself, rather than use Erina? You fool," Asahi added, narrowing his eyes and sharpening his tone, "The act of self-sacrifice is naught but a lie. Being unable to see that, even now, marks you as an inveterate hypocrite."

And without even moving, Asahi summoned a vast number of magical portals all around him, as he stood proudly before this waste of space of an opponent. Within those portals where the magic weapons of legend, that only he could ever hope to wield.

Soma, eyes on Asahi, merely smirked. "A fraud and a hypocrite, huh? It's probably because I am a fake…"

"Hmm?" Asahi muttered, half amused, half annoyed.

"But I was mistaken all along," Soma explained, as he too summoned his own magic, as the mark of power began to course through his veins and ink his skin in its glowing hue. "My knife-making doesn't actually create them. There's only one thing that I can do," and as Soma spoke up, Asahi felt a surge of power begin to envelop the area. What was he…?

Asahi turned to Soma, and it irked him. Despite how much he talked down to the boy, there he was, still going to attempt it. Still going to risk everything on an "experiment" to try and wiggle out a victory where there realistically was none.

Soma had already begun to pour the beaten eggs into skillet in a thin, steady stream, holding a pair of chopsticks over edge of bowl to help distribute eggs evenly, allowing the liquid to run down it, almost as if painting a canvas. Asahi glared, as Soma tried to focus. But damn it all…

'My hands won't stop shaking…' he inwardly cursed at himself. Why? Why was his body not responding? 'This is not the time for me to suffer from one of these! I get that I'm nervous, but for this to work, I need to be inhumanly precise, so, please, get your act together and stay calm!'

And Asahi smirked. "…You're shaking, aren't you?"

Soma scoffed, even if the nervousness was obvious. "Not all of us are as impervious to feelings as you are."

"You can try to insult me all you want," Asahi countered, "But results are what matter. You know you can't win this, and yet…"

"I have to," Soma affirmed, biting his lower lip to try and refocus his attention on the pain and not on his fear. "For the sake of the girl you so heartlessly wish to toss aside as a casualty of your war with your father."

"Big talk for such a child," Asahi continued, eyes narrowed, "But can you back it up? Let me tell you a little bit about the real world. Cooking for the one person you love, the one you wish to make all your dishes for, will not save you or her. Love is not a secret ingredient in the culinary arts, I'm sorry to say."

"I will prove you wrong!" Soma shot back, flipping his knife around, as he took hold of his next ingredient. He still needed to improve the dish by so much more. Just the scent of Asahi's unfinished work made it clear that the gap between the two of them was still too vast. "I love Erina," Soma stated plainly. The crowd all looked on, eyes switched to the heiress whose face was getting redder and redder with each word being said. "And I can't just sit back and let this war you have with Azami outright wreck her whole life!"

And Soma cut through the first set, slicing it down almost as effortlessly as Asahi himself had done it before, just rather than the two knives, he did it with the knife with the words "Nakiri" engraved into it. That was, after all, his most special girl in the world.

Asahi looked on, and he didn't much like this at all. Not because Soma could win. No, that wasn't possible. But because if he kept sprouting bullshit like that, even once Soma lost, the audience and world could rally behind him. The underdog, the Romeo to Erina's Juliet, and that was not ideal for Asahi's vision. So he needed to end this quickly.

Soma kept on cutting, pushing through his shaking hands, pushing through his blurry vision. He had to win! He had to protect Erina! He had to defeat Asahi and push Azami out of Tootsuki! Someway, somehow! He had to!

And as Asahi stared him down, he could hear the chant…

I am the bone of my sword.

Steel is my body and fire is my blood.

I have created over a thousand blades.

Unaware of loss, nor aware of gain.

Withstood pain to create weapons, waiting for one's arrival.

I have no regrets. This is the only path.

My whole life was Unl –

Soma.

Soma!

"Soma!"

Soma gave pause, hearing Erina scream as if it were muffled. He gave pause, turning to her. Wait, had his vision gotten that blurry? He couldn't much see her. And he felt lightheaded, his body in cold sweat. And he could see Urara shouting something, but he could barely hear her. What…? Even Asahi was looking at him, eyes conflicted. Why? Soma paused again, as his senses seemed to be off at the moment, before he felt moisture in his palms. He looked down, at his dish, and it was… stained in red…

"…no."

Soma quickly pulled his hand backwards, realizing that he had accidentally jammed the knife's tip right into the back of his hand, right in-between his index finger and thumb, stabbing cleanly through the skin and what appeared to be a vein, as blood soon sprayed out of the fresh wound, outright ruining the very dish he had been hallway into making. The boy freaked out, trying to salvage something, anything, but the blood got everywhere.

Soma quickly used a nearby towel to wrap his hand in it and try and stop the bleeding, quickly staining it in red too. He stood, utterly shocked, clenching his left hand, which felt no pain due to, what he imagined was, the adrenaline currently pumping through him. But…

Everything was ruined.

"Soma!" he heard Erina cry out again, and of course, she was rushing into the arena. "Are you okay?! Did –?!"

"I-I… I messed up," Soma lamented, his voice quivering, just as Erina reached him and quickly, gently, took hold of his injured hand. He had known he was close to suffering a nervous breakdown, but he had not expected his body to betray him like this.

"Competitor Yukihira!" Anne quickly called out; the concern evident. "Are you alright? You should get medical attention."

"How deep was the cut?" Charme asked, softly, edging closer to Histoire.

"Cut? That looked like he accidentally stabbed his hand," Histoire noted, grimly.

"Oh no! Poor baby," Courage voiced, her hand over her mouth.

"Hey! Can we get some medical personnel in here!" Lanterby quickly ordered, and the staff of the WGO began to move about.

"…Let us call for this to end here," Azami spoke up, his eyes closed, but his tone strong. "This has gotten quite out of hand, and despite everything that has been said about me, I harbor no ill-will towards young Yukihira, so –"

"I'm still in this!" Soma quickly cut him off, which made Azami's eyes widen. "…I-I am not forfeiting."

"Really?" Asahi spoke up, amused. "Kid, it's fine. You did well enough. But it makes sense if you tried to do such a complex dish with a knife you aren't yet very familiar with, you could hurt yourself. Consider yourself lucky you didn't cut off a finger or the like. Take the L and go get medical attention," Asahi advised, before he turned towards the judges, "However, I am not really about to call for this to be declared over. I'm finishing my dish, and I am keeping my word. Erina, Ashitaro, and then…" he then glared at Azami, "You, father. This changes nothing."

"Competitor Saiba… You truly wish to continue this…?" Anne asked, her eyes now on Asahi. The boy just smiled.

"Trust me," he warned, "It is in your best interest I do."

As the judges all tensed up at his words, with Azami holding back the darkest glare imaginable, Mana shifted her eyes towards her daughter and her boyfriend. Erina looked absolutely drenched in worry, as she fidgeted about and tried her best to hold the towel on Soma's hand to prevent any more blood loss, despite him telling her he was okay, when it was clear he wasn't.

"Where's a goddamn doctor?!" Erina screamed out, her commanding tone quickly making everyone turn to her, right after she utterly ignored Soma's assertions that he was okay, because no, he wasn't. But then…

"Right here little lady," Hiroto Arato spoke up, appearing down at the arena and approaching the two. "Not the first patient I had in mind, but I'll work with whoever needs it most. So please, young Yukihira, come with me."

"H-Hey, wait a minute!" Soma complained, as he turned to the judges. "I never said I was quitting! In fact, I said the opposite!"

"Human blood is not a viable ingredient Soma," Asahi mocked, brushing him off, but the second Erina turned her glare to him he flinched and cleared his throat. "Just get him out of here and tend to the guy. I have bigger fish to fry anyways."

"…Are you continuing the match?" Mana asked, her eyes on her former staff. They all seemed very conflicted over it.

"It seems they do not have a choice on the matter," Azami answered for them, his eyes on Asahi. "Nor do I, for that matter. Isn't that right son?"

"Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!" Asahi confirmed in jest, "You do not. So sit back, and let me cook. Once I finish this dish, you'll see what I mean when I say this old regimen of cuisine hierarchy is due for a complete overhaul."

As Asahi boasted, Dr. Arato slowly tugged at Soma, to guide him away from the stage. Soma fidgeted, but alongside the doctor, Erina was basically pushing him away, and he couldn't quite do much against her. Did… Did this mean that was it? This was all he managed to do in the end? He felt horrible, and as he watched Asahi return to his cooking, he bit his lower lip and using his right hand, pointed at the judges firmly.

"Hey! So long as I don't leave the arena I don't get disqualified, right?!"

"What are you saying?!" Urara quickly blasted, with a very dizzy Yua clinging to her. "Go get treated! This isn't the time for that bravado of yours!"

"I mean it!" Soma reaffirmed, then he looked directly at Anne, "Please… if I stay here, even if the match continues, I don't get disqualified, do I?"

The judges all seemed to give pause, each looking at each other briefly, before Anne cleared her throat and spoke. "…Com… Listen, Soma, that's correct. In cases where a competitor is injured, the match can continue, and the competitor is not technically disqualified until the match ends and he or she doesn't bring forwards a dish, but I cannot suggest to you to try and complete this duel."

"You don't have to!" Soma affirmed. "I'll get tended to and be right back, and I'll make a dish," he added, before he turned to Azami, "Without a second or two to spare."

"Soma!" Erina cried out, pulling him towards her, "Drop it! You will do no such thing. Get tended to. This is more than just this competition. This is your wellbeing."

"She's right," Isshiki spoke up, walking up to the couple, alongside Eizan. "Your safety comes first. Your focus should no longer be this competition."

"You should have stabbed Asahi if you were that damn desperate," Eizan added.

"It's not – Oh screw off! – It's not that I don't know what this means…" Soma told Isshiki, after making a brief pause to bark at Eizan, and he seemed to want to say something else, but Dr. Arato and Erina outright pushed him away, to a nearby bench, to get him quickly checked out. Soma sat down with the biggest pout, like a little kid sent to a corner, but even now, his hands were shaking. And it outright frustrated him. Erina sat right next to him, and he hated how worried she looked. Just what she needed, more reasons to be worried.

Up in the audience, all of Soma's friends were outright experiencing a mixture of emotions they couldn't even begin to describe.

"I-Is he going to be okay?!" Yuuki asked, as Terrubunny lowered his ears, as if he was also worried over Soma's wellbeing.

"That was your father, right Hisako?" Ryoko voiced, turning to the young secretary.

"Yeah, that's dad," Hisako confirmed, "Soma's in good hands. There's nothing dad can't fix."

"But considering this is Soma we're talking about…" Julio added, eyes narrowed.

"What does that mean?" Berta asked, eyes shifting from Julio towards her sister, as Raymond sat to the side, fully focused on Asahi, who had gone back to cooking.

"He isn't going to just sit back and focus on healing, is he?" Cilla noted, turning towards Mitsuru. The young reporter said nothing, but he did nod, grimly, since he knew Soma all too well. Most of them did. Soma Yukihira wasn't about to just let this be what decided the match.

"Just look at him," Ikumi added, eyes on Soma and the very worried Erina next to him. "Idiot hasn't even gotten off the stage yet. He is fully intending to get patched up and get back to cooking."

"That is very risky, should we intervene?" a worried Isami asked.

"…I'm not sure who that would help more, Asahi or Azami," Shun noted, clenching his fists at the sight of his friend in this situation. "Besides, we know Soma. He won't accept losing like this."

"He barely accepts losing as is!" Marui added, laughing a bit.

"But what is he going to do…?" Madoka asked, clearly worried.

"It is as they say," Subaru noted, "The devil's in the details. Us, or anyone, intervening will allow either Asahi or Azami to cry foul and kick not just Soma out, but potentially the entire Elite Ten. We lose Tootsuki completely at that rate."

"That's so unfair!" Daigo and Shoji cried out in unison, utterly pissed off at just how biased this whole thing was.

"We knew that from the start," Miyoko stated firmly, eyes narrowed. "And it seems Asahi is just upping his game, even against an injured opponent. Man knows no mercy…"

"He is utterly frightening!" Kanichi squealed, raising his hands in fright, and accidentally smacking Ken in the face, just as the guy was going to give his own input. "…Oh, sorry."

"…Just watch, okay?"

The entire group all paused, turning to the side, ignoring how Ken was now trying to choke Kanichi, as the group's little witch had spoken up, softly, her eyes fully focused on Soma and Erina down at the arena. Her expression was something else.

"You lot have never given up on Soma before," she said with very firm tone, "No sense in having doubts now, when we're so close to the end."

"Nao," Hisako voiced, her eyes on the girl. "That's quite the amount of faith you seem to now have on Soma, eh?"

And at this Nao simply grinned.

"I suppose it comes with the territory…"

Nao told them, and while it wasn't news to any of them, it was still surprising to hear her admit it so casually…

"After all, what kind of sister would I be if I didn't believe in him?"

As more and more whispers began circulating the arena and the stadium at large, Asahi just let out a little laugh, before he raised his hand and gave a firm snap of his fingers. Instantly, the music shifted, and a more upbeat, yet darker, music began to play. The judges all turned to him, utterly confused, slowly realizing the guy not only had control of the screens, but of pretty much everything the WGO had been handling. And if they wanted to break that control, they would have to shut everything down, and with his threat lingering, they didn't much want to risk it.

"Let's refocus our attentions everyone!" Asahi announced, "Our scheduled viewing remains unchanged. In fact, Soma actually left this match in a way that keeps his dignity intact, so good for him. You lot, well, you'll have no such luck…"

And Asahi flipped his two knifes perfectly, proudly showcasing his belt now adorned with the tools of all the chefs he had defeated previously.

"Take a good look, these are the tools from the best this academy has produced!" he continued, "Fuyumi Mizuhara, Donato Gotouda, Taki Tsunozaki, and, of course, Jouichirou Saiba. I have conquered them all…" he boasted, to the utter horror of all those watching upon hearing the name of some of the best chefs in the world. "And I'm not done. Soma Yukihira here also fell to me, and soon, it won't stop there. Aside from Ashitaro Sadatsuka and little Erina Nakiri, you all follow. Everyone hearing me, I am coming for you. Be it Kojirou Shinomiya or Sonoka Kikuchi, Eishi Tsukasa or Rindou Kobayashi, Riko Ebisawa or Gin Doujima, and, of course…" he then turned his sharp eyes towards his father, "You… Azami Nakamura."

"You intend to crush every single chef this Academy has produced?" Azami questioned.

"As opposed to what?" Asahi countered, "You wanted to ruin their image by destroying the place that gave them their reputations to begin with. My method is far more direct, far less cowardly. I'll face them directly, and show you, show all of you, that your time in the sun is over. It's time for a change, and the culinary world will no longer be governed by those born with a silver spoon in their mouth!"

Asahi, without even looking, went quickly to continue his dish. In a flash, the Noir continued to heat the olive oil and chorizo in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Cooking, stirring, until the chorizo was crisp. He then transferred the chorizo and rendered the fat to a small bowl. He returned two teaspoons of the fat to the skillet and heated it over medium-high until it began shimmering. Asahi then added the asparagus and cooked, stirring and tossing, until it became bright green. Then he added the garlic and continued to cook until the asparagus was tender and the garlic fragrant. He then seasoned with a variety of spices and herbs, using his knives in perfect unity to reach the desired taste, before adding vinegar and tossing it all to coat.

Then Asahi, in a very brash move, threw all of it into the air. What followed was like a rain of colors that filled the stadium's sky, letting lose such a delightful aroma that it made everyone there utterly desire nothing but to have a taste of that deliciousness being prepped. Asahi effortlessly caught it all in a large skillet, placing it down and giving the camara, and the audience, a very proud smile.

"Have I made myself clear?"

The music began to raise the intensity of the beat, and with it, the Noirs scattered through the arena all began to cheer for their King.

The Tootsuki alumni were utterly powerless as Asahi was creating what appeared to be an utter masterpiece of a dish before their very eyes, and soon, he took over social media entirely. The story of the bastard son of the abusive Azami Nakamura standing up against the establishment spread like wildfire, and a huge uproar was beginning to form in his name, just like how Asahi had planned it.

Azami could only watch in horror, as from his phone, he saw his stocks plummet and saw how he was effectively removed from every single company group chat he belonged to. This… How was this boy's reach so vast?!

Up above, Soe clenched his fist, as Tootsuki was beginning to feel the blow too, with their stocks beginning to tank, as were the six other schools. Everything associated with the WGO was getting affected, it seemed, and this was just the start.

"You really do mean to ruin us all…" Anne noted, eyes on Asahi.

"I warned ya," Asahi said with the widest grin. "Times are a changing," he added, as he extended his arms, to the resounding cheer of all his underlings scattered throughout, and as he became the biggest name trending in social media. "You're all going down, and from your ashes, I and I alone, will rise. Because you both got it wrong. It isn't free experimentation and love for the craft that gets the best results, because all you end up getting there is more failures than successes. But, the polar opposite approach? That True Gourmet garbage you tried to sell? That's just as bad. It strips originality completely, and leaves only dishes without a clear identity…"

Asahi, as he explained, then crossed his knives, forming an "X" with them.

"The real culinary masterpiece can only be achieved at the singular point where those two approaches meet," he explained, and boasted, "That single, fraction of a moment where creativity and diligence cross paths is the single, perfect culinary method to achieve true mastery… And that is what I will be serving you all today…"

Ashitaro finally looked up at the stage, his eyes blood-red, glaring at Asahi. He was going to ruin everything! He already was! His father was going to kill him! 'You… You damn bastard!'

Julius just sighed, arms still crossed, back against the wall, his eyes on Asahi's grand gesture, and he couldn't help but laugh at himself. 'You really did it. You actually went and surpassed all of us. I guess the name is legit. You really are… the King of Noirs.'

Asahi finally added the eggs, seasoning them with other spices and cooking them, before spooning the hot fat over the top of the eggs so they set rapidly. He continued to cook them until the whites were just barely set and frizzled around the edges, but in a way that the yolk was still runny. Asahi then topped the asparagus with these fried eggs, chorizo bits, and the chorizo fat. And, for a final touch, served it with the smoked paprika allioli.

"W-Wait?! No way, is… is Asahi done?!" Urara could barely even say it, her knees shaking, as she could barely even function once the delicious aroma of Asahi's dish began to invade her senses. Her knees weakened considerably, and she was sure Yua had probably fainted by now. Her eyes, filled with tears at this point, looked on as Asahi finished plating his dish, and took march towards the judge's table. Walking past Urara and Yua with a knowing smirk, his dish outright smacked both girls right across the face, making them both moan outright, and Urara had to cross her legs to keep her dignity in check.

Asahi placed the plates down, and despite all the manipulation, the insults and the backstabbing, the moment he gave them his dish, Mana, Anne, Charme, Histoire, Courage, Lanterby and even a reluctant Azami could only stare at his dish with nothing but uncontrolled… desire.

"Happy to serve…" he noted rather smugly, smile ever present.

After all, Asahi Saiba had finally presented them with his Sautéed Asparagus With Chorizo, Fried Eggs, & Smoked-Paprika Allioli.

"Now that's a frightening display of skill…" Isshiki noted, eyes narrowed at the plate Asahi had just offered up.

"How the hell were we even supposed to try and challenge that…?" Eizan barked, glaring at the guy.

"How the hell were we even supposed to try and challenge that?!" Kuga, up above, unknowingly echoed his teammates very words, at pretty much the exact same time.

"He outright used techniques from every chef he mentioned as having defeated," Nene noted, using her index finger to fix her glasses by the frame, "But… most of all, I assume, that's a dish crafted directly to surpass Jouichirou Saiba himself."

"Wait, this is super bad, right?" Alice asked, freaking out, "Soma's still being tended to over at that corner, and if Asahi wins this, then it's only Erina who's left representing us, and she's super exhausted!"

"That bastard Asahi is counting on that," Kurokiba noted, "Take both Milady Erina and that asshole Ashitaro out, then it's just him and your uncle."

"If I may ask," Takumi interrupted, his eyes on his teammates, "Realistically, which of these endings is worse for us, Azami winning, or Asahi?"

"I am not fond of the implications of either scenario," Akira replied, resting his face against his fist. 'No matter which of those two "win", Tootsuki loses, and with it, all of Jun's efforts go down the drain. All of our efforts too. We spent six grueling rounds trying to survive, all just to plummet here in the finish line…' Akira thought solemnly, before he turned to the side, and… it was surprising. Because she'd usually be the one to worry the most out of all of them, and yet…

"Soma's not out yet," Megumi calmly said, and her expression remained focused on Soma and Erina. "And as long as he, and Erina, stand, Tootsuki Academy will not fall…"

"W-Well… if we're forced to do this… then…" Anne tried, she really did, but the dish before her was too tempting, and soon enough, she, alongside the other six seated next to her, all took a bite out of Asahi's offering, and just like that, the judges felt like the had outright achieved the big… "Oh!"

Anne clenched her body, feeling a shiver run right through her.

Charme felt like he was cheating on his wife with the pleasure he was receiving from this dish.

Histoire felt he was cheating on Charme with the pleasure he was receiving from this dish.

Courage crossed her legs instantly, and blushed hard. She'd need a change on panties soon.

Lanterby almost fainted. She was not prepared for this. This had not been in her job description.

Mana…

Mana outright found herself in a lone tower, chained to the wall, wearing absolutely nothing but a smile, as the dragon than had been keeping her captive had been effortlessly slain by the "Hero" that had showed up out of nowhere to save her. She smiled even more, reaching out to this young man to save her, as with his long, hard, thick sword, he cut down the chains that bound her and took her into his arms…

Mana shook her head furiously. 'Keep those thoughts in check Mana,' she reprimanded both herself and her God's Tongue, 'He's your daughter's older brother, weirdly enough… but, this is legit. Damn, so, so good. It's outright on par with the second, and best, offering both Erina and Dove made… And he did it in his first try? How?! How was he able to achieve this flavor so quickly…?'

"Just… Just what is this…?" Azami was forced to ask, his eyes on his son, who's smug smile was annoying but not unwarranted. "I saw what you used, I know the steps you followed, but…"

"Making the best use of animal fats is key, but you know that," Asahi noted cheekily, "Also, that little tingling sensation you feel is an old favorite… the all-spice. A very popular seasoning made from drying the leaves and the unripe fruits of the tropical plant. Quite tricky to use, quite versatile if one knows how to use it. Again, dedication and creativity; balance, what both the Neo-Noirs and the Elite Ten lack."

"You didn't just use all-spice," Azami commented, still being bombarded by the rush of flavors so different from his craft, yet one he couldn't call inferior to Erina or Dove's best. "You outright combined it, even using aromantics like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and…"

"But there are still parts you don't understand, huh?" Asahi boasted, and despite his rage, Azami couldn't dispute it. "It makes sense. Despite how amazing you are, Jouichirou Saiba was always just beyond your reach… Was he not?"

And at this Azami outright flinched.

"And yet I did what you never could," Asahi verbally poured salt into the wound, "I fully defeated him, and as proof, here I am, wielding his knife, making a dish that surpasses him. So, I ask you father, shall we continue? Because I can do this all day, but you? This is the caliber of my cooking, and I won't falter. So, if you can't see yourself defeating this dish, then say so now, and we can save ourselves both the time and the effort!"

Asahi then turned to the crowd, and with the same smug and boastful tone, added…

"And I say the same to you all! If any of you thinks you can make a dish better than the one I just set on this table, go ahead and bring it forwards! I assure you all, not one dish made under this roof will even come close to this!"

'He's not just taking out Azami with this,' every member of the Elite Ten thought in unison, a sentiment every Tootsuki student seemed to share, 'He's outright taking aim at all of us at once!'

And as Asahi flaunted his prowess, at the sides, Soma felt his lightheadedness grow.

"H-Hey Doc, this is bad, hurry up and give me my hand back!" he demanded, turning to Dr. Arato, who simply frowned at the idea.

"Soma Yukihira," Dr. Arato began, "While I fully comprehend the magnitude of your desperation and desire to help, I, as your doctor, cannot allow you to go back in there," he explained, and Soma outright glared and pouted at the guy. "…Look at me funny all you want, but I am limited in what I can do here. I just cleaned your wound, gave you very surface level anesthesia, closed your wound, two stiches mind you, and gave you both an antibiotic and some pain medication. Your wound is fresh, and it will swell. I need to get you to my office so I can treat you properly, as it may need some draining if it gets infected, or additional stitches… and nothing I just described is pleasant, mind you."

"Hey, I get that, I really do," Soma replied, "But this is very, very important. I can't just back down now," Soma added, and despite the doctor's protests, quickly got back to his feet. His vision shifted all over the place as he did, but he pretended otherwise. "I'll be fine! I can keep this covered up, not use this hand, and after the duel's done then we go and have it checked out in your office, deal?"

Without even allowing Dr. Arato to reply, which would have been a very clear "no, let's not do any of that", Soma had already turned away, ready to head back into the arena, before he was stopped by Erina.

Erina outright smacked her own forehead against Soma's, shocking the boy.

"H-Hey, sweetie, careful!" he noted, using his good hand to check up on her forehead, but she didn't even seem to feel it, as evident by her glare.

"Enough!"

"Erina, I –"

"No! You are done!" Erina affirmed, "This doesn't fall on you. I will take care of my brother, and then of my father. You've done enough. Go and get treated, now!"

"I… wait, no, Erina," Soma voiced, utterly conflicted, because he knew she was right, but… "I can't just sit back and let you take all of them on. You brother, your father, Ashitaro… You already took out Dove, and I know you're utterly exhausted. Let me –"

"Exhausted is miles better than injured," Erina shot back, and before Soma could try and reply, she added, "Soma, I am not debating this! This is your career, your life. If you go back in there, you risk hurting your hand beyond anything that could be repaired. Soma…" and her voice softened, as she carefully took hold of his now bandaged hand. The look on her face broke him. "That's enough of people I care about getting hurt because of me. You've done more than enough. I know how our dynamic works… How I don't admit… things, but you are a chef. It is your passion. I won't let you lose that, especially not for me. I can protect Tootsuki Academy…"

"Erina…" Soma voiced, his eyes wide, and he used his able hand and placed it by her cheek, lovingly caressing her face. "…You're right. You always are. I can't debate this with you…"

"But…?"

"But I can't let you do this alone," Soma said, and she frowned. She tried to glare, but all it did was water her eyes. Then his words made her heart weak. "Please, trust me, even if just this one last time. I know I am reckless, but I am not just doing this for the fun of it. I know the risk. I know if I mess up, I could end up not being able to cook again. I'm not that stupid, despite how you may think otherwise," he noted, and she couldn't help but laugh softly. He pressed his forehead gently against hers, locking eyes with this beautiful girl, "You wanted to save Asahi, I… I think I have a chance to do it. Miniscule, I know. But, please… trust me, Erina. For once, I am not doing this to be number one. I am doing this for you, just you. Always you. I know you will protect Tootsuki, so let me protect you…"

"…Soma…"

"…Erina, please…"

Erina bit her lips, closed her eyes, nudged her nose against his for a moment, before she slowly, if nervously, let go of his injured hand. Soma grinned at her, and she knew his grin was clearly one of uncertainty. But, damn it, she loved him, and she couldn't quite say "no" to him. Not now, not here. Not ever. So Erina moved aside, and Soma, after offering her a nod, began to make his way back to the stage.

"…That's a very unwise decision," Dr. Arato noted.

"Love usually is," Erina simply stated.

"Touché."

"…A-And it seems the judges are in an outright daze over Asahi's dish…" Urara commented with outright fright. And it was a severe understatement. They had outright devoured everything he had served up, and even Azami himself, looked like a defeated man before the plate his own son had served him.

But… slowly, whispers began to circulate.

Soon… murmurs turned to talks then turned to claps and cheers.

Little by little, the audience all began to turn to the side, and as Urara and Yua turned, they were met by the sight they had not at all expected, but that really should not have been a surprise.

"He's seriously going to attempt this?" an amused Alex noted, as his girlfriend Linda and teammates Christina and Alberto looked on.

"He is not lacking in guts, I'll give him that…" Hakeem observed, as his brothers Keelan and Dakarai looked on, all the while little Aisha pumped his fist upwards and gave the biggest cheer imaginable.

"No wonder Taku is friends with the guy, they're cut from the same damn cloth!" Lucrezia exclaimed with a little smirk, as her team consisting of Valentino, Marco, Alessandro and Aurora all applauded.

"Now that's a manly entrance if I've ever seen one!" Gautier proudly boasted, as Camille gave out a little laugh, all the while Lumiere, Joseph and Kitsch all watched with great anticipation.

"Soma Yukihira… What an enigma you are…" Ekaterina said with her eyes shifting from him towards Erina, "What a lucky girl you must feel that you are, Erina Nakiri," she added, and her team, from Aleksei and all his siblings and cousins, to Luka, Sasha and Grigory, all waited for the announcement to be made.

"Van! Look! He's coming back!" Bridgette excitedly told her brother, as the others, Benjamin, Emilia, Victor and Timonthy all looked on, all of them impressed. The young girl was super giddy. "He looks so cool!"

"…Yeah, I guess he does…" Van spoke, softer than usual, but upon sensing just how much the rest of the Challengers were all looking down with anticipation, Van just gave out a wide grin and added, at the top of his lungs, "About time you Elite Ten showed some guts!"

And the crowd began to go wild, as Soma Yukihira firmly marched back onto the stage.

"Oh my goodness…" Urara couldn't help but voice, before the biggest smile was plastered all over her face, and she announced, "He's back! Soma Yukihira reenters the arena!"

"DO IT SOMA!" Nao, Hisako, Isami, Ikumi, Subaru, Julio, Yuuki, Ryoko, Shun, Zenji, Madoka, Daigo, Shoji, Mitsuru, Cilla, Berta, Raymond, Miyoko, Kanichi, and Ken all collectively cried out, their fist pumping up to give their friend as much support as they could muster.

As the cheers accumulated, Soma, without even looking back, simply raised his right fist into the air, as a show of strength and solidarity with his team, with his friends, with his school. With his found family.

"…There's only thirty minutes left on the clock," Dove, standing further back, her back to the wall, her eyes on the scenario before her, noted, trying to be realistic about this. "They can cheer as much as they want, but…" she added, but she stopped. Turning to the side, she looked at Loren, who was still with her. Just… The way her little brother was looking at the scene, how his eyes were focused on Soma, Dove felt unable to even comprehend it at first. 'Oh my, you're really invested, aren't you kiddo? Soma Yukihira, how on Earth did you get Loren of all people interested in the culinary world, I wonder?'

"And the prodigal son returns, eh?" Asahi finally commented, turning to Soma, who had reached his area, to the cheers of everyone present. "Do those cheers fill you with a sense that maybe, just maybe, you can pull something off here?"

"Actually, I'm super unused to having people cheer for me that it feels weird," Soma admitted, before he turned back to his craft. He took hold of everything he had done, left there all bloodied up, and discarded it. Tools and all. The only thing he kept was his knife, and proceeded to wash it thoroughly, since blood was effectively a biohazard and it required extra care when it came to the clean-up. Which, in itself, was very hard to do with just one hand.

Soma, once he was done, placed an oven mitt over his bandaged hand, for extra protection to both himself and his craft, before he took out a whole new set of ingredients. He placed them all over the counter, as Asahi just laughed.

"Are you purposely aiming to get pity points here?" he asked, "You had the perfect opportunity to get out and have nobody question you, but this, this is beyond moronic."

"Maybe…" Soma noted, before he took hold of the knife once more, and took a deep breath. The nervousness was still there. The fear. But, for Erina, he'd have to push through. One hand would have to be enough. "But, in my opinion, putting my own self-interest before the girl I love is even more moronic, no?"

Asahi just smiled.

The still shellshocked judges, still dazed by Asahi's masterpiece, slowly began to come to and saw that Soma was going to attempt to cook again. Anne wanted to stop him, but before she could, Soma began once more. And to everyone observing, it was clear.

He was making a completely new dish.

And with just a single hand, as he kept his other hand behind his back at all times, he quickly began to move all over the kitchen, and once more, it was like…

"…Let's do this, King of Noirs," Soma finally managed to say, as his imaginary world filled with endless cooking tools materialized over himself and Asahi, "Do you have enough tools stored up?"

Asahi gave out a mocking laugh, "You think too highly of yourself, mongrel."

And in a split second, Asahi's many knives began to cross over and fly towards Soma, as the redhead quickly jumped back, barely avoided getting impaled, and took hold of the nearest tool…

Soma began by adding a powdered gelatin to the chicken stock, mixing it well and letting it stand…

Asahi's first projectile knife was countered by nothing but a syringe, courtesy of Alice Nakiri.

Soma then took a three-quart saucier and began to fry some fresh bacon over extremely-high heat…

The next knife was stopped by a large blade enveloped in flames, courtesy of Ryou Kurokiba.

Soma then used a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a plate, before moving the rendered bacon fat from the saucier and into a wok…

Another attacked was blocked, this time with a wok-like shield, courtesy of Terunori Kuga.

Soma began to dice mushroom caps, carrots and pearl onions at a rapid pace, before he threw it all right into the wok from one side of the kitchen to the other…

Asahi had to outright use his knives to block an incoming attack, made by none other than the Mezzaluna, of course courtesy of Takumi Aldini.

Soma then carried on to season everything with the finest spices and herbs he could select, mimicking a certain someone as he took in their scent and decided on which one to use that way…

Soma locked blades with Asahi, with the redhead now holding a very fine fencing sword, courtesy of Akira Hayama.

Soma then transferred the carrots and pearl onions to plate with the bacon and mushrooms, taking such tender care to get those vegetables just right…

And with a surge of magic they had both learned from The Légumes Magician, Soma took hold of another, smaller knife, but one which shattered Asahi's one effortlessly. This one was courtesy of Megumi Tadokoro.

Soma then added soba noodles, reserved mushroom stems, large diced carrots, shallots, a clove of garlic, and thyme sprig to saucier and cooked it, stirring evenly and fiercely, until it just started to brown…

The next knife shattered yet another of Asahi's prized collection, this one courtesy of Nene Kinokuni.

Soma then added the finest red wine and brought it to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of the pan and continuing to simmer until the wine was reduced by half and the flavor had been outright altered…

The following exchange shifted from magic to alchemy, as Asahi's knives were stopped by the very Earth rising up and forming a protective wall, courtesy of Etsuya Eizan.

Soma followed this up by whisking everything in a butter-flour mixture, then simmering until the sauce began to thicken and it coated the back of a special ladle…

Asahi was almost outright struck by an old-fashioned wooden ladle, dodging it at only the last second, shocked that he was being actually pushed back, courtesy of Satoshi Isshiki.

And the entire mixture was placed in a large pot, not unlike the one's the Sadatsuka siblings used in their craft, setting it on a low flame. Soma looked up, utterly drenched in sweet, at the timer on display. Only five minutes remaining. He laughed a bit. This was impossible.

"…You really are clinging to this, huh?" Asahi noted, but he was beyond irked. "You really think this is going to win the judges over?"

"…We won't… know until… I serve it…" Soma stated, out of breath, before he moved it and uncovered his boiling dish, which resulted in an aroma so delightful it almost matched Asahi's earlier offering, making the King of Noirs actually take a step back in surprise.

'W-What the…?'

And in a sudden hit, Asahi was outright blasted by a magic from a little vvitch, courtesy of, who else, but one Nao Sadatsuka.

"…So that's what he meant…" Eishi commented, observing, as Rindou turned to him with a curious look. Tosuke, Sonoka, Momo and Soumei all turned to him as well, while the rest of the graduates at that area kept watching the match unfold, as it was slowly coming to a close. Eishi, however, had the smallest smile present. "When he said they'd be facing off against the Neo-Noirs together. I didn't get it then, but he's… Soma's using each and everyone of the Elite Ten's specialties and styles in this. He's hitting Asahi with the full power of Tootsuki in a single plate. Damn, that is nerve-wracking to think about how challenging it must be to make, but if he gets it right… maybe, just maybe…"

As Eishi spoke, further away, Shinomiya just frowned. With Hinako by his side, happily humming along to the music Asahi's followers had set up, he couldn't help but think, 'Maybe? No. You are my damn pupil Yukihira. So you better damn win this.'

Soma then moved again, sensing that his dish was almost complete, but with just three minutes left in the clock. He knew he was going to be cutting it close. With just one hand, he decided to do the set-up in reverse. Set the plates on the judges table, get the cauldron off, and then serve each dish directly at the judges' table, since with just one hand he wouldn't be able to juggle seven plates in one go.

So he set the seven empty plates to the five judges and the two shitty parents (one far more than the other, granted), and, despite their looks of confusion, he went back and placed two more plates aside, right before he motioned to lift the cauldron…

It didn't budge.

Soma felt his body freeze up.

'Wait!' he noted in total fear, 'I can't lift this thing with just one hand! I forgot about that! No, no, no! I need to get it out of there in the next few seconds or the flavor will suffer for it!'

"And… huh?" Urara voiced, eyes on the clearly pale as all hell Soma, "Hey? You okay?"

"…I just realized I can't lift this thing…" he had no choice but to admit it, turning towards her and the judges with a very derpy look on his face. Everyone felt a sweat drop from their heads. Was he serious?!

"I-I suppose we can offer –" Anne began, motioning to one of the WGO staff members, but a hand was quickly raised. Soma outright glared, while Asahi didn't know whether to laugh or not at this point.

"…Any outside assistance renders his participation null," a very conflicted Azami voiced up, his eyes sharply on Soma. The judges all turned to him, all five of them frowning, but it was a rule. But, like, seriously?!

"Not even me trying to lessen your comeuppance grants me any mercy from you, huh?" a weary Soma asked the man clad in black.

"Rules are rules," Azami merely affirmed, 'And I'd rather be destroyed by my own son than to ever be saved by you…'

"My, what very poor judgment father," Asahi playfully noted, "But, good enough try Soma! You almost made it!"

"Father!" Erina's sudden roar made both Azami and Asahi flinch, as they both turned to the girl who was currently livid. "Have you no shame?! We are here trying to salvage a little of our family name, which you happen to share with me! Soma's hurt! Let someone help him at just this!"

"Any outside assistance calls for a disqualification," Azami affirmed, even if his hands were beginning to shake. He was screwed either way, but damn it, he wasn't giving Soma the chance to even present a dish if he could. "I was already lenient in allowing him to get medical treatment and return. He gets no further exemptions."

"That was allowed!" Erina roared back. "Lifting something is not at all assisting in cooking!"

"It is when it involves a cooking utensil."

"Father!"

Soma just closed his eyes, and he could outright feel the seconds ticking away. If he didn't move the cauldron now, everything would be ruined. So he took a deep breath, looked at Erina for a second, and smiled. "…Oh boy, you are going to be so pissed off at me."

"…Eh? Soma…?" Erina began, then it hit her, "W-Wait?!"

Soma then proceeded to grab the hot cauldron with both hands, and lifted the entire thing off, at first letting out a pained scream as his open wound felt that heat almost burn him directly, before he forced himself to shift that scream into a defiant roar as he pushed through the pain and set the contents where they needed to go.

The entire crowd was silent, utterly in shock at what they had witnessed. Soma, with his aching hand now shaking uncontrollably, threw the lid aside, and took a scoop of his dish, ready to try and serve it, only to turn around and realizing something else.

Less than one minute left on the clock.

"…S-Seriously…?"

"That was very dangerous and stupid," Asahi voiced, walking closer to Soma. "But, dude, for real, stand down. You can't serve every judge, even if you skip Mana and Azami, in fifty or so seconds. Not from this far away. Go treat you hand and let the adults settle things."

"Asahi, please…" Soma began, clearly still in pain, but he did… smile. "For once, just shut up. Let me do my thing, okay? I didn't bust my ass borrowing everything I learned from my friends and rivals just to fail at the simplest task of serving the damn meal."

Asahi frowned. "Just copying the tricks of the Elite Ten wouldn't have saved you regardless."

"It's not copying, it's learning from them, and growing," Soma corrected, "But, you're wrong on one account. I didn't just learn from my fellow Elite Ten members…"

And as Soma said this, he took hold off a scoop-full of his dish, and took a very familiar and worrying stance…

"H-Hey…" Asahi voiced.

"S-Soma…?" Erina muttered.

"…That's…" Azami, eyes wide, noted, as he could see the reflection clearly.

He saw Soma Yukihira taking aim…

…Just like Loren Frechette did.

"Catch!"

Soma then outright threw the dish all the way across the kitchen and the arena, somehow managing to land a portion of his dish right into Anne's plate, so suddenly it made the woman give a small shriek in response. A few more tosses followed, as Yua tugged at Urara's sleeve, and when she turned, Yua pointed her to the clock.

Urara felt a shiver. But she needed to help.

"And there's five seconds left…!" Urara announced loudly, so that Soma wouldn't go beyond the time limit.

Soma threw the would-be dish to Charme's plate.

"Four!"

Soma threw the would-be dish to Histoire's plate.

"Three!"

Soma threw the would-be dish to Courage's plate.

"Two!"

Soma threw the would-be dish to Lanterby's plate.

"One and a half!"

Azami outright glared at Urara, just as his own plate got hit by Soma's "dish". Still, he couldn't do anything, because…

"One-sixth-of-a-second!"

And a final would-be dish was thrown to Mana's plate, who simply laughed at the absurdity of it all. Still, it didn't matter, she supposed, since while the timer ran out, she and Azami were not official judges, so, technically…

"And time!" Urara and Yua both announced, both with their hands raised, as a very, very exhausted Soma barely managed to hold himself up. His bandaged hand was clearly bleeding again, as his oven mitt was slowly getting stained with blood. Still, he looked on, at the mess of a dish he had managed to serve to everyone.

Because, after all that chaos, Soma had somehow managed to serve them his Oeufs en Meurette ~ Classique Edition.

Azami was glaring at the dish before him, as Soma offered it to all of them with a little smile.

"…H-Here," Soma offered almost without any strength left in him, "…Please enjoy what, could maybe be, the very last dish I ever manage to make…"

Azami had every intention of simply refusing to even take a bite, but the judges all quickly moved in, taking their bites and swooning instantly. Mana gave Soma a little smile, and took her first bite…

And just as she had been rescued by the "Heroic" Asahi, the "Demon King" Soma appeared, and with his magical powers, he manifested a set of chains and bounded Mana once more, pressing against her nude firmly, tighter than bondage, and making her kneel and submit to his girthy and massive… power…

'Damn it woman! Clean up those thought!' Mana reprimanded herself, blushing madly. She was so not having these thoughts in regards to her daughter's boyfriend of all things!

During all this, Azami gritted his teeth, and despite everything, his desire got the best of him, and he took a bite as well.

And just like the total bitch that he was, Azami was slapped right across the face with such intensity that he fell on his ass, stripped naked for some reason, as Soma stood over him, his eyes glaring coolly at the broken man beneath him.

"What does this mean?" Soma asked him.

"I refuse to take part in this buffoonery!" Azami roared, trying his best to break free from this vivid imagination scenario the dish's taste had trapped him in. But, before he could try and snap himself back to reality, Soma just raised his hand once more and slapped him again. And again. And again. And with each slap, Azami just whined more and more pathetically, up until he sounded like a high school girl getting spanked rather than a grown man being slapped.

"I said…" Soma repeated, threateningly, "What does this mean?"

"…T-That…" Azami grit his teeth until he drew blood, "That she now calls you "Daddy"!"

"…And?"

And here Azami just cried… "That so do I… Daddy!"

For reasons nobody else understood, both Azami and Mana had their heads buried onto their laps, both of them blushing like crazy, but it was probably best to ignore them for now.

Asahi, meanwhile, glared at the scene, like father like son, Soma noted, as he approached the Noir.

"Here…" Soma offered, giving Asahi a plate of his own, "This time you didn't even give me some of what you did, but I won't forget you."

"Oh… how nice of you," Asahi sarcastically voiced, but he took hold of the plate and examined it. Could he really had done something comparable to Asahi's offering? He shook his head, and took a bite…

"…Soma, that was utterly careless!" Erina quickly cried out, approaching Soma with the biggest scowl imaginable. "Go get your hand treated, now!"

"I will, I will, promise," Soma replied, trying to calm her down, before he took hold of another plate, "But… here, have something to eat, you're way more worn out than I am… I wanted this to serve as a pick-me-up meal for you too…"

"Oh," Erina voiced, eyes lowering, as she took hold of the plate. It was true, she was famished after her triple set of bouts against Dove, so it wasn't unwarranted. So Erina, deciding to argue with Soma later, took a bite of his meal too…

The judges all stared, blankly, as they looked down… There was no longer any food on the plates.

'A-Again?!' they all thought in unison.

Mana was silent. Azami was shaking.

Asahi tasted the dish, and his eyes went wide. And the whole crowd saw it…

Asahi had blasted Soma with over a thousand knives, tools he had collected from every chef he had ever defeated previously, but the resulting explosion of pure power proved insufficient, as to Asahi's shock, Soma appeared above him, manifesting the knife Erina had given him, as he called out…

"Rho Aias."

And with it Soma descended downwards at top speeds, as Asahi threw everything at him. Soma deflected some, avoided others, and even got hit and bled from a few, but he didn't stop. He would not stop; he took aim at Asahi with the knife given to him by Erina…

As Asahi, in his desperation, reached out to his strongest weapon…

The one weapon he had used to defeat even the great Jouichirou Saiba with…

But…

"What the hell is this supposed…?!" a shocked Asahi couldn't help but ask, the plate in his hand shaking.

"What else, but love and experimentation, all in a single plate," Soma simply replied, and Asahi just looked on, utterly lost. What? "On the experimentation side, I used turkey eggs as opposed to chicken eggs, since, while not common, they are very edible, and have a higher protein and fat count, which made it possible to reach the flavor I wanted with the short timeframe I had. I also used a few French cutting techniques passed down to me by my Master, a few little cheats I've picked up during my time in the Polar Star dorms, and some ingredients I've practiced with during my classed with our professors like Miss Shiomi or good ol' Chappy. You know, Tootsuki Academy stuff."

"This dish…?" Asahi voiced, his eyes on the now empty plate, "Is everything you learned in this damn place…?"

"Most of it. At least, on the experimentation side of things," Soma explained, and then he just smiled, "As for the love, for my craft, for my family, for my friends, for this very school, and for my best girl, well, my father told you that secret long ago, didn't he? You should know this better than I do…"

And for just a fraction of a second, Asahi hesitated to grab onto the weapon. Because, of course, it was Dove's…

And it was here, Asahi heard Jouichirou's words echo once more…

"Listen well, Asahi, the secret to becoming a great chef is... meeting a woman that will make you want to give all the food you make to her."

And Soma just looked on, almost about to collapse, but he hoped, the message had reached…

Because thanks to that moment of hesitation, Soma had cut clean through Asahi's attack, and severed his entire arm alongside it, leaving the King of Noirs utterly shocked, and leaving Soma Yukihira as…

"J-Judges…?" Urara outright begged, as the five all pondered for what seemed like an eternity.

Mana raised her hand.

Azami gritted his teeth.

The judges all motioned to cast their votes.

Asahi looked on, eyes wide.

Soma just breathed…

The crowd outright roared in a desperate plea…

And the Elite Ten all pushed themselves off their seats, their feet slamming against the railing in a thunderous thud, as collectively, Megumi, Takumi, Akira, Kurokiba, Alice, Nene, and Kuga all screamed out as loud as they could…

"SAAAAAY IT!"

The votes were finally cast…

And in a five-to-nothing…

Winner: Soma Yukihira

"Oh my God, YES!" Urara outright beamed, as a massive outroar of support filled the entire arena, almost leaving everyone deaf.

"He did it!" Kanon happily applauded, "See Yoshi! Soma won!"

"That he did," a very beaten down by the day's events Yoshiaki affirmed. "Of course he did."

"He really is something else…" Ava added, grinning proudly at the scene.

"That he is…" Kotaru also added, his eyes on both Soma, looking super exhausted, and his girlfriend Urara, looking as happy as he had ever seen her, and he couldn't help but smile at that sight.

"He actually won…" Shouko voiced, shocked, "Well I'll be damned…"

"Guess it wasn't a fluke back at the showcase after all…" Yukichiko said, the tiniest hint of a smile on her face.

"…No way! He lost!" Sarge, utterly flabbergasted, just mouthed, as she stood, utterly deflated, alongside the rest of the shellshocked Noirs. "…How?!"

"We're so screwed…" Kou Shiou noted.

"We're so fucked…" Bunnyhair corrected.

"Language little lady!" Don Calma reprimanded, before he turned towards Asahi's left-hand man, hoping against reason there was a backup plan for this. "…Yuunosuke-kun?"

"…Sorry, no, I've got nothing," the Noir admitted, as Claude, Tommy, and the rest all stared in disbelief. "That damn kid… Soma Yukihira actually did the impossible and took Asahi out. I'm sorry, we don't have a back-up plan for this… For any of this…"

As even with Decora's phone in his hands, and all the power of the WGO at his fingertips, he couldn't do a damn thing if Soma Yukihira had proven too much to handle at the end…

"Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!" Urara tried, "Ah! I can't! In what was an utterly insane match that I'm not even sure if its legit or not, Soma Yukihira has beaten all the odds an emerged victorious! And with it, Asahi Saiba, with all his tricks and lackeys, is officially eliminated from the Intercontinental Shokugeki! Yay!"

"…Yeah, it… it wasn't…" Soma also tried, but he relented and just took a deep breath, "Ah, who am I kidding, that took everything I had and then some… damn that was rough…"

And, unable to even get his catchphrase out, he slowly began to hear the judges finally come to, as they had given him their votes without even saying a thing.

"It's amazing!" Anne cried.

"It's incredible!" Charme sang.

"It's astonishing!" Histoire sobbed.

"It's wonderful!" Courage alleged.

"It's astounding!" Lanterby added.

They all seemed to love it, Soma noted, and that was more than enough for –

"…It's d-delicious…"

Soma Yukihira outright froze.

That voice. It couldn't be, could it?

Soma slowly turned, his eyes wide, as he was met with the sight of Erina Nakiri, her plate completely empty, her eyes wide, and her hand covering her mouth, as she had just said the last thing the had ever intended to admit in her lifetime.

She was blushing so, so hard.

"…Did…? Did you just…?" Soma could barely even ask.

"Hmm?" she tried to play if coyly.

"Did you just admit that it was…?"

"…I…"

"Erina… Did you seriously just…?!"

"I-I, well…"

"Oh damn, you did! You actually did!"

"I… I… Oh fine! It was, okay?! It was delicious, damn it, I can't lie! It was Soma, it was insanely delicious!" she finally, finally, FINALLY admitted it, and Soma felt a mixture of utter bliss and blank nothingness. He could die happy, that's for sure, and he wasn't entirely convinced he wasn't actually dead as was, but, by gods, she admitted it!

Erina Nakiri actually admitted Soma Yukihira had made something delicious!

"Oh, damn it, what a stubborn girl," Soma quickly took her into his arms for a tight hug, which made a blushing, albeit giddy Erina, squeal as she hugged him back. "I finally got you to say it, and all it took was Tootsuki about to go under and me literally cooking until I bled… Nothing much."

"I… I'm a hard girl to please," Erina joked, smirking at him.

"Yeah, I've noticed," he joked back, before Erina pushed herself up a bit and locked lips with him. The two kissed deeply, as the camaras caught it all, and with a dish and a kiss, Asahi's entire movement was cut short, and in its place, rightfully, was Erina's love story and her battle to save her school and her family and friends once again the focus.

Asahi couldn't even stay. His mind had been utterly muddied by it all. His best efforts, everything he had struggled for years to reach, all squashed not by his father or his sister, or even the girl that he had fallen in love with against his will, but by… him?! Soma Yukihira? The guy Jouichirou had abandoned him in favor of? The actual son? That… That wasn't fair…

And, it was here he laughed. Because, yeah, it wasn't. That had been his whole point. Life wasn't fair, Asahi knew this, and he couldn't, despite everything, do anything about it. And he couldn't face Soma, and much less Erina, after it was all said and done. He'd keep true to his word. Soma won, he'd take his Noirs and leave. Might as well uphold one thing of everything he had promised to do…

"Can you listen to me now at least?"

Asahi gave pause, having walked aimlessly through the hallways leading out of the stadium, when a familiar voice spoke up. He narrowed his eyes, because he knew the voice well, and if he had not been in the mood before, he certainly wasn't in the mood now.

"What is it Jouichirou?" Asahi just asked, not even bothering to turn to the man. "Your son won, so go and try and be a good father and congratulate him and stuff…"

"I am trying to be a good father, actually," Jouichirou corrected, as he walked over to Asahi, and despite the elder boy's hesitation, placed his hand on his shoulder. "And right now, out of my two boys, Soma's not the one who needs me the most."

"…Oh don't go –"

"You know why you lost, right?" Jouichirou interrupted him, his eyes fully focused on Asahi's. The Noir stammered, biting his lips for a moment before he looked away. Jouichirou took that to mean a "yes", in a way, "By all accounts, you should have won. But much like a certain Queen of Noirs, who lost because of all the baggage and pressure Azami placed onto her, you tried to take on the entire world by yourself, while Soma gave it all, just to protect the one girl he loves."

"That…" Asahi tried, "That can't be really it. I'm not a kid. That whole "love" thing is… It's just…"

"It's what allowed you to defeat me."

Asahi froze, eyes wide, and he felt his body grow cold.

Had that really…?

"You didn't make that dish, back at Yukihira's with the intention of beating me," Jouichirou explained, "You made it with such tremendous care because it would be the first-time little Dove was going to taste something you made. That's what pushed you over the edge. That's what gave it that little extra kick that mine lacked. Because after I lost Tamako, I couldn't quite make it there anymore. I… I want to believe, that maybe with Riko, if we can make it work, both she and I can get there again, eventually, but… Asahi, young love is a powerful thing, and this is not me being childish. You saw its effects first hand. Soma's love for Erina triumphed over the resentment you had for all of us, just as your love for Dove triumphed over all the experience I've gathered throughout the years. And that very love, for Soma, for her family, for this school, and even for you, is what's keeping your little sister still standing tall, despite the fact that both you and I know just how insanely grueling that match of her was."

Asahi tried to complain. He opened his mouth to do so, but simply shut it, sighing, before he took a different approach. And he just sounded so… defeated. "…What should I do then?"

"Heal, for starters," Jouichirou advised, "Take some time, revaluate everything. If you truly believe your only path to happiness is to stand atop the culinary world over all of us, then rework a plan, and come at us again…"

"Are you seriously trying to encourage me to attack Tootsuki again?"

"Yeah, but," Jouichirou added, "Only if you are certain that's what you want, because while you may say that you and I are no longer connected as we once were, I think I still know you enough. I have never seen you as happy as I saw you that day with little Dove."

"…I…" Asahi bit his tongue, since he was a grown man and he wasn't going to cry, "I-I messed that up, fully. I can't fix what happened between her and me. Jouichirou, I tried, I tried to…" and it didn't work, since his eyes were tearing up and his words were getting caught up on his throat, "…Tried to convince her to… switch sides. I know why she's working with him… I mean, Erina saved her, I think, but I… I focused on my goals… I could have done what Erina did… I… damn it I should have done that… I should have focused on getting Dove out of that deal instead of… Instead of…"

And Jouichirou simply pulled the boy forwards, and to Asahi's utter surprise, gave him a firm hug.

"You are both young," he told his son, "Even us adults, we make so many mistakes when it comes to love that it is stupefying. But this isn't on you, or on little Dove. I'm sure the love you two share can survive this, if you two put in the effort to do so. It will be risky, I won't lie. And you could end up hurt in ways even worse than now, but I always preferred living with the failure than imagining the "what-if?", no?"

"…You almost sound like an actual parent."

Jouichirou just laughed, and hugged the boy tighter. "And you're quite the troublesome son," he added, before he affirmed, "And, while your relationship is something strictly between little Dove and you, I will speak, personally, to Azami. You kids have done enough. Suffered enough. Let your old man have a chat with, well, your other old man. Man to man. Let's see him try and manipulate me for a change, eh?"

And all Asahi could do was nod, as he sunk his head onto the nape of Jouichirou's neck, wondering if, if it were truly possible to fix what had been so beautiful, yet currently so broken, between him and Dove…

Back at the arena, as the crowds' cheers slowly died down, and everyone was fully focused on the star couple currently in the center, a sudden text hit Ashitaro's phone, which made the Warlock turn to it, his red eyes narrowing so much all he saw was red.

It read: "What the hell are you doing crying in a corner like a little bitch?! Azami's brat and his student are both out! Get up and win this damn thing!"

It was, of course, his father. He knew the man had to be in the crowds somewhere. Hiding. Watching. Waiting…

Ashitaro grit his teeth, and stood up suddenly, before he outright threw his onto the floor, shattering it on impact, and making everyone turn towards him, the cheers almost coming to a sudden halt. Ashitaro proceeded to march right into the center of ring, as Julius looked on, frowning at the sight.

"Eep!" Yua blurted out at the sight of him before them all.

"Wait?! Seriously?! Why are you back here?!" Urara blurted out, but Ashitaro outright ignored them both.

His blood red eyes were on Soma and Erina.

"…This damn thing ain't over," he threatened, "From the start it was set as until the last chef standing. From my team, despite Asahi's attempts otherwise, I still remain. So… this continues."

Soma instantly got in front of Erina, glaring at Ashitaro fully. "You seriously want to end this this way, huh? Fine by me! You got lucky against Isshiki you damn coward, so come on and –"

But Soma was interrupted when he felt Erina tug at his sleeve gently. He turned to her, a bit confused, as she simply smiled at him.

"I understand your anger, trust me, I do," she told him, before she turned towards Ashitaro, "…But, you asked me to trust you. To place my faith in you. And I did. So…"

Soma looked on, and he understood. "…Yeah. And I trust you just as much. Fine, you're right," he noted, before, to everyone's surprise, he raised his able hand, making Urara and Yua turn to him, "Hey, Urara, Yua," he began, and with a soft, confident smile, stated, "…I think this is as far as I can go."

The silence that followed was something else. Everyone stared, and Azami looked utterly shocked.

Urara, however, slowly grinned from ear to ear, because after being friends with him for so long, she knew what these two intended, and she knew what he meant. So, despite Yua's confusion, Urara raised her own hand, and announced the last thing anyone ever expected to hear, "And given his condition, Soma Yukihira retires from this event! As such, Soma Yukihira has been officially eliminated from the Intercontinental Shokugeki!"

Soma kept his hand raised, almost as if asking both for permission and apologizing to his friends and classmates for having to drop out, but he knew he couldn't cook anymore as was, and Erina wouldn't allow it even if he could.

But, to even his surprise, the silence was soon filled with applauses…

…then cheers…

…then everyone, from Tootsuki students to even the Challenger teams, outright standing up and cheering him on, whistles and all!

Soma looked on, unable to hide his grin, as the entire stadium cheered his name and applauded his efforts.

Erina looked on, biting her lips to avoid tearing up, because damn it, it was too much.

'What kind of participants get eliminated…?' Mana began, smiling.

'…with an outright standing ovation?' Azami concluded, scowling.

And it was here, with the whole world watching, that the nobody from the little special-of-the-day restaurant. Who came in here on a whim and insulted everybody by announcing his intentions to use them all as stepping stones. Who survived all of the Tootsuki trails, some by the skin of his teeth, even placing second on the Autumn Elections, before he was expelled on false charges. Who then cheated the entire system to challenge the Elite Ten, win a Tootsuki sponsored Showcase, and defeated a member of the Ten all to be accepted back, the first, and only, student to ever do so. Who was chosen to become a new member of the Elite Ten, and had been pitted against the very best students and graduates the whole world had to offer. Who, then, bested them all. Who despite all odds, challenged the infamous Noirs themselves and even managed to dethrone their very King, once deemed unbeatable. The boy who had protected Erina from the very start, who Tootsuki had wanted nothing to do with for the longest time, now stood, with his fist raised, eliminated from the competition, and yet, received by his peers and staff and the whole world with so much love, affection and pride. It was, again, too much.

Up above, Nao was grinning at the sight. She had gotten herself quite the remarkable brother it would seem. And as he eyes shifted towards her other, less significant brother, she simply stared.

"…You chickened out?" Ashitaro commented, his glare now on Soma.

"Sure did!" Soma affirmed, confusing the Warlock. "But not because of you, but trust me, an angry Erina is not something I want to deal with, so, yeah, totally, Imma do what she wants and get my hand revived and stuff."

"That's not wise," Ashitaro carried on, his glare shifting from Soma to Erina, "You should have attacked me in numbers. I have rested enough. You both look about ready to drop dead. You should have sent him against me, even if just to waste time, rested up, and then maybe, just maybe, you could have stood a chance."

"I shall only say this much, because quite frankly, you are so beneath me that you do not deserve the honor of even hearing my voice," Erina began, and Soma just laughed, while Ashitaro's glare flared up even more. "But Soma needs medical treatment, and he needs it now. I will not let him wait two hours more, and risk any further complications. But rest assured, you disgusting, filthy, pathetic excuse for a garbage human. I do not need rest to take you out."

"Is that –?"

"Shut up, I'm still talking," Erina quickly interrupted him without batting an eye, which made Ashitaro outright flinch in sheer rage, as Isshiki and Eizan both laughed. That was Erina alright. "And I want to be clear. Isshiki's warnings still apply here. Your abuse of Nao Sadatsuka does indeed end today. So come at me with everything you have, because you seem to be under some massive misconceptions…"

And as Ashitaro took hold of his knife, Erina's replied in kind by taking hold of her own, as her glare matched his flawlessly.

"Nao is a precious student of Tootsuki Academy," Erina declared, "And as long as I, Erina Nakiri, stand in this very school, not a single student of ours will be harmed. As long as I stand, Tootsuki Academy will not fall. So come at me, you filth, for this is the last time the world will ever give you a stage to flaunt your mediocrity. You Neo-Noirs, and my father with you, wanted to take out Tootsuki Academy so badly, then bring it! I am Tootsuki Academy! Come and get me!"

And the screens began to flicker once more, before showing the final bout of the entire Intercontinental Shokugeki.

With just one member left on each team, the match-up was obviously…

Erina Nakiri vs. Ashitaro Sadatsuka

…with the fate of the entire culinary world riding on this one, last, desperate duel.

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Make. Them. Yield!

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Round 5?! – Saturday, December 23, 2023