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Chapter 42 - "The Legend of the Sun Sunflower."

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"Speed? Yeah, it's insanely fast. But compared to our Shunpo and a Hollow's Sonído, it's still just a hair slower. That power, though… it's inhuman. Completely overwhelming."

Yoruichi Shihouin's analysis was as precise as a scalpel. The strength Girim displayed had already shattered the common understanding of power in the Soul Reaper world.

"Even after Bankai, only a handful of people could trade blows with him head-on. He's basically a prehistoric beast in human form."

Kisuke Urahara gently fanned himself, eyes half-lidded with quiet insight. "No need to worry too much. People who obsess over raw power tend to get consumed by it in the end. Girim is strong, yes. But Toriko and his companions are far from ordinary."

Hueco Mundo — Deep within Las Noches

"This thing's a monster wearing human skin! Even at my peak, I wouldn't last a single exchange!"

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez's eyes were bloodshot, his teeth grinding hard enough to crack. The pressure radiating from the screen pierced through space itself, making his skin sting.

"The gap in power is obvious."

Ulquiorra Cifer's cold voice carried an unfamiliar weight. His black eyes reflected Girim's towering figure as if measuring his own shortcomings. "For Lord Aizen's grand vision, we must break past our limits. Segunda Etapa is not the end. A higher plane awaits."

When Toriko and Rin were smashed into the scorched earth like rag dolls, Toriko, a man who should have stayed down, clawed his way back from the abyss.

The air around him ignited. Crimson energy erupted from his body like magma spewing from the depths of hell. A massive, ferocious red demon spirit roared into existence behind him, soaring into the sky.

"Unforgivable!"

The words shook the air, heavy with blood and fire.

Facing Toriko's fury, enough to burn through the heavens, Girim didn't even bother lifting his eyelids. His expression remained lazy, detached, like he was watching a trapped animal make its last cry.

"Appetite Demon backlash, hm? The resentment of a Gourmet Hunter is one of the most terrifying forces in the world."

Each of Toriko's steps felt like they were crushing through dimensions. He forced down the raging power inside him and walked straight toward his godlike opponent.

"No one touches them! We're a team! Every one of them is an essential ingredient on my life's full-course menu! I've already decided, we're all going to enjoy Acacia's Ultimate Full Course together!"

Energy surged wildly from his body. Fragments of shattered earth, dust in the air, even beams of light began to distort and float. His signature blue hair whipped around like a sea serpent in a storm.

"Starving so bad you're hallucinating?"

Girim's narrowed eyes flashed with killing intent. In the next instant, an aura powerful enough to punch through the atmosphere detonated from his body like a nuclear blast.

Toriko's speed exploded. From a steady walk, he turned into a blur that shattered the sound barrier and shot straight at Girim.

"Pathetic! Acacia's ingredients? That End-Beast has already been devoured. It's part of my power now!"

Boom!

Toriko's iron fist crashed forward with the force of collapsing mountains and roaring seas, only to be caught casually in Girim's hand. His grip tightened, threatening to crush bone in an instant.

A blinding crescent shockwave erupted from the point of impact, sweeping away the surrounding scorched rock like an invisible blade from heaven.

"What you ate wasn't Acacia's true ingredient!" Toriko roared, his voice cutting straight into the soul. "The legendary special menu is said to satisfy the hunger of the soul itself! Tell me, after eating it, were you satisfied?!"

Before the words finished echoing, his right leg whipped out like a demonic blade drawn from its sheath.

Thunder boomed.

Under that "Leg Knife," the hardened earth split like butter, leaving behind a bottomless, mirror-smooth chasm.

When the dust cleared, Girim still stood tall.

Across his chest was only a thin diagonal scratch, from shoulder to abdomen.

"Useless. After devouring the End-Beast and activating my body, you have no chance of defeating me."

More despair followed.

As Girim spoke, the wound on his chest healed at a visible speed. In seconds, it vanished completely, leaving not even a scar.

Then he threw a simple straight punch.

Blue energy condensed around his fist like a compressed star.

Bang!

This time, Toriko's body couldn't withstand the vibration. He was blasted away like a supersonic missile, carving a desperate arc through the sky.

Boom!

He smashed into a small mountain. The entire mass collapsed instantly, rocks flying everywhere. The crimson energy around him faded and dissipated.

"Has even that powerful Appetite Demon backlash run dry?" Girim looked down at the ruins, voice dripping with dominance. "IGO, Gourmet Corp, none of it matters. The one who will claim every ingredient in this world is me. Time to say thanks for the meal."

He stood there like a tyrant at the peak of the world, turning the battlefield into his personal stage.

"Say goodbye to your life."

His right arm lifted. Terrifying blue flames erupted, a fire that could reduce everything to ash.

At that critical moment, someone completely unexpected stepped between Toriko and death.

Komatsu.

The seemingly powerless chef stood beneath the shadow of those destructive flames, clutching a thermal container.

"Girim!"

His thin frame trembled but did not retreat.

"Did you forget about this flower?!"

Girim paused. The blue flames flickered.

"I only need better ingredients."

"Alone? You're going to hoard all the delicious food for yourself?!"

Rin, back in her normal form, staggered forward to stand beside Komatsu. Her question stabbed straight at Girim's cold heart.

The Look of Other Worlds

At the Lookout in the world of Dragon Ball Z—

"That's insane! Just that level of physical strength already surpasses us by miles!"

Piccolo's face darkened. Even with regeneration, he couldn't tank Toriko's Leg Knife like that and walk it off instantly.

"That punch… it's probably on par with my full-power Kamehameha!"Goku's eyes burned with battle lust.

In deep space, aboard the flagship of Frieza—

"Hmph. Barely Ginyu Force level. Still, the trash in these videos is getting stronger."

He folded his arms, unimpressed.

Inside the Infinity Castle of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba—

Muzan Kibutsuji trembled. That kind of mountain-splitting power shattered his pride in regeneration. Against such attacks, he wouldn't even have time to heal.

Even Akaza fell silent.

Meanwhile, in the Hero Association of One Punch Man—

"That's at least peak Dragon-level."

Atomic Samurai instinctively classified Girim as a monster.

"Tch! Bunch of weaklings! If I were there, I'd slice him in half already!"

Tatsumaki scoffed, confident as ever.

Back on the battlefield, Komatsu and Rin failed to sway Girim's killing intent.

Blue flames erupted again, crashing down like a volcanic explosion.

The ground carbonized instantly. Cracks spread. Molten lava surged upward.

Toriko shielded Komatsu, taking the full brunt of the flames and collapsing under their weight.

"That flower… without giving Toriko that nourishment, we can't stop him!"

Rin struggled to her feet, her body charred black.

"But… Miss Rin, that flower is yours…" Komatsu's voice trembled.

"Don't hesitate! Use it! Wake Toriko up and stop that monster!"

"Yes!"

Komatsu flung open the container and took out the sacred flower. Golden light flowed across its petals.

He gently aimed it toward Toriko.

A drop of nectar, condensed from the essence of heaven and earth, fell from the stamen and landed precisely in Toriko's mouth.

Whoosh—

A violent wind burst forth.

His faint aura surged like a dead tree blooming in spring. The surrounding air warped and rushed into his body with every breath, as if swallowed by a black hole.

Girim, who had been about to turn away, froze.

"Delicious!!!"

Toriko's eyes snapped open.

Not red.

Blinding gold.

Sacred.

Light flowed over his skin, reshaping muscle and bone. His body tightened, filled with explosive power. He radiated pure brilliance, like the newborn sun at the dawn of creation.

"Girim!"

Toriko stood once more, roaring with fury and conviction.

"You've gone too far! Wasting an ingredient this delicious? That's blasphemy against food itself!"

The golden light condensed inward. His skin deepened into a solid bronze. His hair grew wildly.

He stood there like a rising sun, warm and radiant.

"Toriko's electromagnetic waves… it's the sun!"

Coco, barely standing, sensed the transformation instantly. Toriko's aura kept climbing. Golden light illuminated the dim sky.

Girim grinned, pressure exploding from his body in response.

"Come on, kid. I'll admit it. You're finally worthy of standing before me."

In the world of Gourmet Hunters—

"That thing… it's the legendary Sun Sunflower! A mythical ingredient!"

Komatsu finally remembered. A fantasy-class ingredient recorded only in ancient texts.

"Toriko, your food luck is unbelievable. To obtain something like that…"

Toriko scratched his head and laughed boldly.

"Compared to the Sun Sunflower, what I care about more is Acacia's Special Full Course!"

No single delicacy could compare to the ultimate menu that made even the Gourmet Demon inside him tremble.

Rin nodded.

"Toriko's right. Food is meant to be shared."

"....."

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