"Solved? Our gap is this vast?!"
Sunny arrived with the others, staring at the smoldering GT Robot carcass. Its reinforced body lay shattered—a testament to Zed's overwhelming strike. The machine's advanced design, likely piloted by Starjun, dwarfed the earlier models in ability and lethality.
"Save the awe. Toriko is in trouble!"
Zed stashed the GT Robot remnants—IGO would dissect its tech later. Nearby, Toriko stood drenched in blood, his neck twisted at an unnatural angle. Yet his aura surged violently, Gourmet Cells roaring.
"Self-Eating… You reckless idiot!" Sunny hissed, recognizing the technique. The Four Heavenly Kings had all risked this gambit during training: letting their Gourmet Demons cannibalize their bodies for temporary power.
Toriko grimaced. "Neck snapped. Had no choice… Good thing Zed arrived fast."
"Self-Eating rebuilds the body but burns reserves dry," Sunny barked. "Find the Jewel Meat now, or he's dead!"
"No need to search." Zed's hand blurred, slicing a flesh wall with a shockwave chop. The meaty barrier split, unleashing a flood of golden radiance.
Jewel Meat—a crystalline, sun-like mass—glowed within, its aroma saturating the air: honeyed marrow, aged spices, and primal vitality.
"Hidden behind a closed chamber… Clever maze," Zed muttered. The light they'd seen earlier wasn't from passages but seeped through the Regal Mammoth's bio-luminous tissues.
The group entered the sealed chamber, its center dominated by a radiant orb—the Jewel Meat, a three-meter-wide crystallization of the Regal Mammoth's essence.
Sunny severed a portion with a hair-thin strand. "This was meant for sharing, but today, it's all yours, Toriko."
Toriko devoured the meat without hesitation. His muscles rippled, Gourmet Cells flaring as the Red Ghost's spectral form loomed above him, its pressure crushing. Zed shielded Erina , Hisako, and Mirajane from the onslaught.
"The Self-Eating backlash is neutralized… but the flavor—!" Toriko's voice trembled. "Liver, cartilage, pork belly—layered, evolving. It's Superb."
Now that the situation has calmed down, Sunny eyed Mirajane, her presence need explanation. "Zed, who is she? We entered with seven. Now there's eight."
Zed stepped forward. "A friend, Mirajane Strauss. Found her inside the Regal Mammoth."
Mirajane nodded, adhering to the cover story. Erina and Hisako had warned her: revealing her extradimensional origin risked scrutiny.
"Fine. Let's haul the Jewel Meat and go."
As Tatsu coiled around the prize, Toriko's glow dimmed against the Jewel Meat's brilliance. The labyrinth shuddered—Starjun's defeat had bought time, but the Regal Mammoth's awakening loomed.