**********
—Six Months Later—
Infinity Castle,
Half a year had passed, and Lev had finally decided that it was time to fight Heracles.
He had come to this decision after seeing that Alpha and the others had already mastered their techniques and had become thoroughly familiar with the terrain and ecosystem of the continent. If he wanted them to grow even stronger, then it was time for them to move on and face an entirely different environment.
As for Lev, he had also accomplished something significant during those six months.
Currently, he was inside the Infinity Castle with the others, looking at something that had appeared before him. In fact, this was also one of the reasons he had decided that it was finally time to fight Heracles.
He had achieved something he never expected to obtain in this place.
[Skill: Cooking]
[Tier: 8 (Progress: 1%)]
[Type: Passive]
[Add-on Skills:]
[Ingredient Connection (Passive): The host will be able to communicate with any ingredient, allowing the host to prepare it with exceptional precision and bring out its finest qualities.]
[Taste Encyclopedia (Passive): Every food the host tastes will allow him to understand its exact recipe, as well as alternative recipes for the same dish. This ability is powerful enough to allow the host to recreate the taste of even a raw ingredient by combining it with other ingredients.]
After continuously learning and practicing cooking, the skill had progressed to a level he never expected.
Lev had never imagined that his cooking skill would eventually unlock sub-skills. The discovery greatly surprised him.
To think that his cooking skill had progressed this far...
He was genuinely satisfied.
And he certainly didn't regret spending some of his time developing it.
"I wonder how my cooking tastes right now? Haha."
Lev chuckled to himself.
He hadn't even tried cooking anything after the skill evolved. The moment he noticed the changes, he had immediately stopped what he was doing and returned to the Infinity Castle to examine the skill.
After reading its description once again, Lev eventually lay down on the floor and closed his eyes.
For some reason, the thought of taking a short break suddenly crossed his mind.
"Nakime. How large can you project your Blood Demon Art right now?" Lev suddenly asked.
"Master, I believe my Blood Demon Art can currently expand to an area as large as Continent 8."
Nakime was sitting on the floor not too far from Lev as she answered.
"That big? What a surprise."
Lev opened his eyes.
"Anyways, we'll be leaving this continent soon, so I want you to tell the others."
He stood up and took out Infinity.
"Look after the others. I'll go to the Infinity World in the meantime."
Lev swung Infinity through the air.
Immediately afterward, a cut appeared in space, as though the air itself had been sliced open.
"As you command, Master," Nakime replied respectfully.
After hearing her response, Lev stepped through the spatial cut.
His figure disappeared into the opening, and the cut in space closed immediately afterward.
*****
Infinity World,
Upon entering the Infinity World, Lev appeared in what seemed to be an isolated forest.
He looked around for a moment before slowly walking deeper into the woods. For the past year—and even during his time on Earth—this was only the second time he had come here.
Just as its name suggested, the Infinity World was a world contained within Infinity—a place capable of harboring life.
In fact, Lev could bring some of the living beasts from the Gourmet World into this place. However, he had yet to do so, as the world was still being explored by the summons currently residing within it.
There was one thing they had already determined, however.
The land they stood upon was essentially like a planet.
The only strange thing was that, despite having a day-and-night cycle and being able to see the sun during the day and the moon and stars at night, they seemed to be completely incapable of reaching outer space.
No matter how high they flew, the distance between them and the sky never seemed to change. It was as if the space above them would endlessly stretch the farther they tried to go.
After attempting it countless times without making any progress, they eventually gave up and simply stopped trying to figure it out.
Before long, Lev finally reached the center of the island.
There, he saw Megatron and the other Decepticons working throughout the area. The Tailed Beasts were also present, along with the other summons.
The only one missing was Tsunade, who was currently sleeping soundly back on Earth.
As for the flow of time, Lev had established a significant difference between the Infinity World and the outside world.
One hundred days inside the Infinity World was equivalent to only one day outside.
He had deliberately set it this way because he wanted to make the world as livable as possible while also giving his summons enough time to develop it. More importantly, it would make things much easier once he eventually brought more summons into this world.
"Master, you're here."
Megatron sensed Lev's presence and immediately stopped working before making his way toward him.
"Yeah. I have some free time, so I came to visit."
Lev smiled as he looked at Megatron.
"Where are the Zanpakutō Spirits?"
There was something Lev had realized after coming to this world.
Whenever Infinity devoured a weapon or an item that possessed a spirit—or even a living creature residing within it—the being inside would eventually manifest physically within the Infinity World.
It had surprised Lev the first time he witnessed it.
Ryūjin Jakka, Hyōrinmaru, and Zabimaru had all manifested within this world.
In fact, a fight had even broken out between them on the day they appeared.
Fortunately, the conflict had been stopped almost immediately after one of the Goblins found them and easily subdued them.
"Aside from Ryujin Jakka, the other two were roaming around this world, Master," Megatron replied.
"Hmm."
Lev nodded, though there was something about the situation that still bothered him.
Unlike the other summons, the manifested spirits weren't particularly loyal to him.
Still, as long as they remained inside this world, there wasn't much they could do.
"How was the new world, Master?"
Megatron's curiosity soon got the better of him. He wanted to know what kind of world his master had visited this time.
"The world I visited this time was as beautiful as Douluo Dalu."
Lev smiled as he recalled the Gourmet World.
"It's a shame you can't come outside with me."
There was actually a reason Lev said this.
He had genuinely wanted to use the Force Summoning Card on Megatron. His technological knowledge and abilities would be incredibly useful during Lev's journeys across different worlds.
However, from a fair standpoint, Lev had chosen Nakime instead.
"But you don't need to worry."
Lev looked at Megatron.
"I'll be rewarded with something after conquering this world. And just like Nakime, you'll eventually be able to come with me on my quest."
He smiled.
"That's a promise."
"Thanks, Master."
Megatron's voice carried clear excitement.
"When that time comes, I won't let you down."
"Anyways, give me the updates you've gathered about this world."
With that, Lev shifted the conversation back to the Infinity World.
Megatron immediately began reporting everything they had discovered during his master's absence.
The two continued talking as they walked around the area, with Megatron explaining the progress they had made and everything they had learned about the world.
As they passed through the area, the other summons also noticed Lev's arrival.
One after another, they approached him and greeted their master with excitement.
The Five Elemental Spirits were among the first to do so, followed closely by all of the Tailed Beasts.
For the summons living within this world, Lev's arrival was always something worth celebrating.
**********
—Three Weeks Later—
Bewitching Food World,
At this moment, Alpha, Ghislaine, Shizuku, Tomoe, and Shion could be found sitting together with Daruma Hermit inside the Infinity Castle Restaurant.
Meanwhile, Lev's clones were busy working inside the restaurant.
Today was the day Lev would finally fight Heracles.
Seeing that Lev had gone alone without any of his companions, Daruma Hermit couldn't help but feel worried.
"Is it really okay for you to be here instead of being with Lev?" Daruma Hermit asked as he looked at the five women.
"Do not worry about our Master. He will survive."
Alpha answered with absolute certainty.
"What we need to worry about is what happens when their battle starts."
In truth, they had tried to convince Lev to let them accompany him. However, Lev had refused, telling them that they would only hinder him during the battle.
"Yeah. I'm sure the beasts around the area will run in panic once the chaos begins."
Ghislaine nodded while sitting in her chair.
"Master specifically ordered us to remain here in the village and protect it if necessary."
"I see…"
Daruma Hermit nodded, though he still looked uneasy.
"Anyways, I hope he'll return here alive, just like you said."
Despite Alpha's confidence, Daruma Hermit couldn't completely shake off his worry. He wanted to believe that Lev would return safely, but he knew better than anyone that getting involved in a battle against Heracles would be nothing short of suicide for someone like him.
Thus, there was nothing he could do but stay behind.
The group remained inside the restaurant, waiting.
They knew that the moment the battle began, the surrounding beasts would sense the disturbance and flee in panic.
And once that happened, the entire continent would soon realize that something extraordinary had occurred.
*****
Horse King Hills,
The Horse King Hills was one of the four paths leading to the Slow Rain Hills. Unlike the other three paths, which were threatened by deadly rains, this path was home to one of the Eight Kings—Heracles, the Horse King, who used the area as her nest.
The region was also inhabited by numerous horse-like beasts of various classes, including the Daruma Horse.
And right now, Lev could be found high above the area, standing atop a Shadow Soldier in the form of a flying beast.
He looked down at the scenery below, particularly at the creatures inhabiting the area. Most of them were either Heracles' offspring or other varieties of horse-like beasts.
"Truly, a magnificent place."
Lev couldn't help but mutter as he gazed below, all the while savoring the unfamiliar air surrounding him.
The air here was completely different from anywhere else he had visited on the continent. It was somewhat difficult to breathe, but the quality of the air was far superior to that of any other place he had encountered.
Perhaps it was because of the numerous Air Trees scattered throughout the region.
These trees produced the ingredient known as Air Fruit, which released enormous amounts of air whenever the fruits fell from their branches.
"Anyways…"
Lev's gaze shifted toward a particular beast.
"So that's Heracles."
There was no doubt about it.
That was her.
A powerful presence emanated from the enormous beast's body, giving her an almost ethereal aura.
Her skin was a dark brownish-green, while her mane was a brilliant orange. Her enormous body was covered with numerous scars, likely remnants of past battles against similarly titanic and powerful opponents.
"I don't know if she's already pregnant right now, but it doesn't matter."
Lev's eyes narrowed.
With that, he stepped off the Shadow Soldier and began descending toward the ground.
He was ready to fight Heracles.
On the other hand, Heracles had already noticed Lev's presence.
However, she didn't immediately react.
Instead, she simply continued to monitor his movements.
"So, you're not easily provoked, just like the old man Daruma said?"
Lev grinned.
"Hahaha. Let's see if you can still ignore this."
Lev's expression changed.
He focused his mind before releasing a powerful wave of Haki.
At first, it was only a small burst.
But in an instant, it spread throughout the surrounding area.
The effect was immediate.
Panic spread among the beasts.
Even Heracles' own offspring were affected.
One after another, countless beasts collapsed as they were overwhelmed by the immense pressure of Lev's Haki.
That was when Heracles finally moved.
Her enormous body slowly rose as she turned her attention toward Lev.
"That's it."
Lev laughed.
"Hahahaha!"
He continued releasing his Haki while staring directly at Heracles.
At that moment, Heracles finally realized that the intruder before her was no ordinary creature.
She inhaled deeply, drawing in a massive amount of air from her surroundings.
Then she looked toward Lev above her.
In the next instant—
BOOM!
A huge and incredibly fast compressed-air projectile erupted from her body and shot toward Lev.
However, thanks to his Observation Haki, Lev had already anticipated the attack.
He immediately responded by releasing a powerful blast of Ki toward the incoming projectile.
It was one of the techniques he possessed—
Ki Blast.
After training with it for some time, Lev had become capable of manipulating the technique into virtually any shape or size he desired.
He could have released a far more powerful and concentrated Ki Blast.
However, such an attack required preparation.
For now, this was enough.
Heracles, along with the beasts that remained conscious in the surrounding area, watched as the two attacks approached one another.
Neither side knew what would happen when they collided.
Then—
BOOM!!!
Heracles' compressed-air attack and Lev's Ki Blast collided.
For an instant, the two attacks seemed to cancel each other out.
Then the resulting force erupted.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A tremendous shockwave spread throughout the area.
The surrounding land shook violently as the force of the collision spread outward, sending the remaining creatures into a panic.
But the disturbance wasn't limited to the Horse King Hills.
The very atmosphere reacted to the confrontation.
High above the battlefield, an enormous and untouchable vortex appeared in the sky.
The environment itself seemed to tremble beneath its presence.
Across the continent, countless creatures began fleeing from the area.
They instinctively understood what had happened.
The Emperor Ring had appeared.
A phenomenon that manifested when two prominent predators met and engaged in battle.
And now, two such predators had finally collided.
After the shockwave subsided, Lev descended and landed on the ground.
BOOM!
Dust scattered beneath his feet.
He slowly straightened himself before looking toward Heracles in the distance.
A smile appeared on his face.
His greeting had been properly received.
Heracles was staring directly at him.
Her expression was no longer indifferent.
There was seriousness in her eyes.
And fury.
However, the battle had not yet truly begun.
There were still other creatures in the area.
Seeing Lev land, several of them immediately charged toward him.
But before they could reach him—
They stopped.
Every single one of their bodies froze in place.
Their eyes widened as they stared at Lev.
Fear.
Pure instinctive fear.
"Small fries should stay out of this battle."
Lev's voice was cold.
A moment later, another wave of Supreme King Haki erupted from his body.
But this time, Lev released it at its maximum intensity.
He also infused it with the killing intent he had accumulated after slaughtering countless beasts and Gods back in Douluo Dalu.
The pressure descended upon the entire area.
The creatures trembled.
Then, one after another, they turned around and fled.
They didn't dare remain anywhere near the battlefield.
Even the bravest beasts understood that this was no longer a place they could stay.
Soon, every creature aside from Heracles had left the area as quickly as possible.
Only two remained in the Horse King Hills.
Lev.
And Heracles.
They stared at each other from across the battlefield.
Neither moved.
Neither looked away.
Finally—
Lev's first encounter with one of the Eight Kings had begun.