"The whole race has an infinite lifespan? This is too outrageous!"
When they heard that the entire species lived forever, everyone's eyes widened. An infinite lifespan is what countless people pursue—yet for ordinary humans, it can be a curse. After all, immortality cannot be shared with those they love. Grief only deepens when loved ones expire and time marches on. Zed shuddered at the thought of endless loss.
For some without compassion—ruthless and selfish—immortality might not matter. The Nitro, however, was known for their minimal emotions. Before meeting Acacia, most had never understood tears. Some elders only thought that moisture in their eyes was drool.
Thus, an infinite lifespan held no torment for the Nitros. What limited them was their power. Despite living forever, their strength could surpass the level of the Eight Kings. "No matter how long the Nitros live, their power remains capped," Zed explained. "Naturals have infinite potential, but only a few humans—like the Jiro-sensei and IGO President or the Four Heavenly Kings—can break through to that level."
"Still, the Red Nitros aren't particularly strong," Brunch observed. "The true power lies with the Blue Nitros."
"Red? Blue? Does the Nitro have different colors?" Rukia asked, curiosity sparking in her voice.
"It's not skin color, but the color of the cells in their bodies," Zed clarified. He suspected Brunch had heard rumors from the village elders—after all, the ancestors of the Hex Food World had been experimented on by the Blue Nitros of the Zero Ten Tribe.
Although Blue Nitros outclassed Reds—second only to the Eight Kings—they, too, were immortal, capable of resurrecting in uncertain ways. Yet even Blues remained inferior to true Eight Kings, since they couldn't consistently obtain the Eight Ingredients. The last time Pair and Acacia faced a strong gourmet monster with the same level as them, they were nearly beaten to death. Only by consuming one another did they discover the Gourmet Demon on Acacia was NEO.
Blue Nitros envied humans for hosting powerful Gourmet Demons. When humans consumed all Eight Ingredients, they could temporarily resurrect these demons. Either the demons fully fused with them, granting extraordinary power, or others devoured them to grow stronger. Blue Nitros lacked this ability. They had captured many humans for experiments, forcibly implanting Gourmet Cells into their bodies. Most subjects perished; only a few survived with irreversible fusions that passed to their offspring. Realizing failure, the Blues abandoned the project. Some survivors escaped to the Eighth Continent—now called the Hex Food World. Thus, it was no surprise Brunch knew of both Red and Blue Nitros from ancestral tales.
"So cells have colors?" Erina and the others looked baffled; even Brunch was speechless.
"Gourmet Cells come in five colors—red, blue, green, black, and white—each corresponding to a different universe," Zed explained. "Our universe is dominated by red Gourmet Cells, so we call it the Red Universe. Blue Nitros hail from the Blue Universe, though I don't know why exactly."
Zed paused. He knew that if he revealed every detail, Erina and the others would pepper him with more questions. He shared only what was necessary.
"It turns out there are five colored universes. Incredible." Everyone murmured in awe.
They wandered through the swampy maze, its walls slick with moss and faint bioluminescent fungi casting eerie green light. Water dripped in rhythmic plinks, and the tang of rotting vegetation hung heavy in the thick, stale air. Beasts lurked beyond the dim glow, their eyes reflecting like dull embers. For humans without strong perception, this labyrinth would be fatal—each turn leading deeper into darkness. The maze's shape shifted, passages narrowing into claustrophobic tunnels where sound echoed strangely, making one's own footsteps feel like a roar.
For the Nitros, however, the maze posed no threat. Their bodies ignored the lack of breathable air and the twisting passages—they treated it as nothing more than a mildly puzzling stroll. Blaze, ice, and storm had no power here; brute strength could simply punch a way forward. Few humans ventured this far unless they were foolishly brave or desperate for treasure. It was precisely because this maze was so tenacious that the Ougai had been sealed here long ago. The Nitros had tried to slay the Ougai when it nearly wiped out the Ancient Ocean, but it was impossible. In the end, they trapped it beneath impossible walls.
Over millennia, the Ougai mutated into a rare food ingredient, and Zed had already located one specimen. After an exhausting search, everyone emerges from the maze's final exit.
"Food luck truly is magical. Our ancestors who braved this maze never returned—yet we came out unscathed just by wandering around!" Brunch exclaimed, wiping mud from his attire. He'd once crawled these tunnels and remembered only bits and fragments of the path. Now, as he stepped into open sky, relief washed over him.
They had reached the Eighth Continent.
"What a downpour of water orbs!"
High above them, massive spheres of water drifted downward. Each orb spanned several meters across, but they fell sluggishly, like huge bubbles. When they popped, a gentle splash echoed rather than a violent crash. Locals, hardened by the Eighth Continent's harshness, barely flinched. Thick steel-gray clouds formed an endless canopy overhead, shrouding the land in dim twilight.
"This is the Mega Rain Zone," Brunch narrated. "Here, raindrops are colossal but slow. Only the weakest would be harmed—any seasoned traveler in the Food World can withstand this."
The air felt charged with electricity, and the weight of moisture on their skin reminded everyone of a blanket too heavy to lift. The ground squelched beneath their boots, and puddles reflected the dim light like giant mirrors.
"It's fitting for the Food World. Even the entrance is breathtaking. I didn't expect so many rain types!" Mirajane marveled, shading her eyes against the spray.
Seeing their interest, Zed added more information. He had studied this continent's climate in old texts—and even comic panels.
"Not all of this rain forms naturally."
"Not naturally? Could someone have engineered it?" Rukia asked, frowning.
"Strictly speaking, it wasn't humans, but the Horse King—one of the Eight Kings. The Horse King rules the Eighth Continent, and its appetite is astonishing. But instead of devouring ingredients, it consumes air."
Brunch's expression turned grave. He and his kin served the Horse King. They tended to giant horselike cubs in exchange for its blessing.
"A Horse King that eats air? Is air considered an ingredient?" Erin asked, blinking at the opaque drizzle.
Zed chuckled softly. "In this world, everything is food—including the stones under our feet." He gestured to a massive boulder nearby. "In Earth's full-course menu, there's an ingredient called 'Another.' Consume it, and you awaken a new taste sense." He paused, a wry smile forming. "You'd find feces delicious—though few humans dare try."
Rukia's nose wrinkled. "Could you not mention that so casually?"
"The 'Another' activates a universal palate," Zed continued. "Then every creature becomes delicious. Even planets—though humans can only taste a fraction."
A hush fell as they contemplated that grotesque notion. Then Brunch resumed:
"The Horse King's race is called the fantasy beast Herakle. When one of them ascends to king—becoming Heracles—their diet is pure air. These thick clouds above the Eighth Continent are the exhalations of the Horse King. That gas is highly toxic, and when combined with natural elements, forms various rains."
He pointed to distant areas where the sky roiled with different colors. "In this Mega Rain Zone, the drops are harmless. But deeper in, some rain comes down as meteorites, others as toxic acid, and some even as laser beams. The weak would die on contact."
Zed nodded in agreement. Brunch knew these truths well; after all, any wandering soul would, for survival. Zed's master, Yosaku were members of the 0th Biotope—so Zed had learned much.
"Let's hurry to the Hex Food World," Brunch urged, eyes scanning the sky. Behind them, the golden swamp lay under a canopy of steel clouds—a barrier severing the Eighth Continent from the Human World. To return home, one must cross multiple continents in the Food World, re-emerging elsewhere in the Human World. With his current strength, Brunch said, he could not risk that.
Everyone followed Brunch toward a distant spire of obsidian towers. Zed kept the Ougai tucked away; they would feast on it once safely inside the Hex Food World.
After a long trek through slick plains and bubbling quagmires, they reached a region where raindrops looked like tiny souls drifting down. Each droplet shimmered with a pale, ghostly light, resembling miniature specters. The rain fell in hushed silence, like whispered prayers.
"Is this rain made of souls?" Rin asked, stepping back as the soul-like droplets slid off her cloak.
"It's only a resemblance—painted by wind and mist," Zed explained. "They look like souls, but they're just water shaped by static electricity."
Rukia, with the instincts of a Death God, recognized the difference immediately. She watched a droplet dissolve safely on the ground.
As they neared the heart of the Hex Food World, no banners or trumpets welcomed them. Zed understood why: he wasn't a member of IGO. His presence was only tolerated due to his connections with Yosaku. A guide would meet them—enough courtesy for now.
Toriko and his companions, however, received heartfelt greetings. As one of the highest members of IGO, they represented a chance to obtain more air—the Hex Food World's most coveted commodity. In return for air-gathering technology brought by Melk and his predecessors, the Hex Food World held Toriko's group in high esteem.
Zed had none of that privilege—yet when the guide noticed the seven-colored fish protruding from Zed's satchel, attitudes would shift.