Several days later, Kael finally completed Toriko's Character Inheritance.
He had fully mastered every ability Toriko possessed. Although his Gourmet Cell level still hadn't reached Toriko's late-series peak, in every other aspect, Kael was stronger.
Mainly because Toriko's power-up in the later stages had been absurdly fast.
Back in Area 8 and Area 7, Toriko and the others had fought their way forward step by step. They'd faced the Horse King Heracles and the Monkey King Bambina head-on. Capturing those ingredients had nearly cost them their lives.
But the later ingredients? Most of them were captured by others.
So even though Toriko's Gourmet Cell level skyrocketed near the end, his overall foundation wasn't as solid as it seemed.
Against Acacia, that weakness became obvious. Acacia's combat experience was overwhelming. In the end, it took Midora constantly holding him back—and finally the White Demon stepping in—to truly finish everything.
After completing the inheritance, Kael drew a brand-new one.
This time, the result genuinely surprised him.
Both inheritances were still from this world.
The new Character Inheritance came from the very first Gourmet God—the original and strongest one.
No one knew why that Gourmet God had fallen. After its power dispersed, it transformed into countless gourmet ingredients scattered across existence.
As for the Faction Inheritance, it was also tied to the Gourmet God.
The legendary Final Land—the dwelling place of gods.
Kael was more than satisfied.
Even though both inheritances were still within the boundaries of this world, the upper limit of this world was anything but low.
After all, this world contained multiple universes.
And true Gourmet Gods were higher-dimensional beings. Under normal circumstances, humans couldn't even perceive them.
Each Gourmet God possessed a body over one hundred thousand light-years in size. They could treat entire galaxies as dining tables—yet without disturbing physical world.
The power system of this world was no joke.
Even though the original story had ended, the existence of the Gourmet Gods alone proved how terrifying its ceiling truly was.
Now that he had inherited that origin—
Kael felt it.
The moment the Character Inheritance activated, his body began to change.
According to the Gourmet Cell system, the next steps should've been simple: collect ingredients, revive the Gourmet Demons inside him, devour them, and elevate his power further.
After that, head into the cosmos and continue harvesting ingredients, growing step by step.
But this new inheritance gave him a different path.
A completely different one.
His body was undergoing a qualitative transformation.
The three Gourmet Demons within him were now fully under his control. He could revive them at any time—
Though there was no point.
They were nothing but empty shells without consciousness.
Kael had no intention of reviving them.
He had stepped onto a brand-new road. His life form itself was evolving to a higher level.
All he needed to do now was wait.
Wait for the metamorphosis to complete.
Only then could he fully finish integrating the Character Inheritance.
The path of divinity had replaced the original Gourmet Cell system.
No other life in this world could achieve that.
Because the gods of the Toriko world were manifestations of the original divine power itself. They were innate existences. Their numbers neither increased nor decreased.
Kael suspected that the first Gourmet God had willingly dissolved into all things—As if it had willingly broken itself apart to become the foundation of the world.
No one else could walk this path.
Only him.
And he was more than satisfied.
The transformation would take a long time.
But even now, he was growing stronger every second.
He no longer needed to rely on the Gourmet Cell system.
Of course, that didn't mean he'd stop capturing ingredients. He might not need them anymore—but they still tasted incredible.
And besides—
There were still the girls from the World of Food Wars.
One day, they would walk this path as well.
When that time came, Kael could place the puppet-like Gourmet Demons within them, saving them a great deal of trouble.
At this moment, his strength had already surpassed even late-stage Acacia.
He was invincible in this world.
That was the power of transcending the Gourmet Cell system.
Even though the transformation had only just begun, its essence was already beyond comparison.
If measured by Gourmet Cell levels—
His level had already surpassed one hundred thousand.
And this was merely the beginning.
The equivalent of a normal Gourmet Hunter just obtaining Gourmet Cells and reaching level one.
Kael clenched his fist, feeling the terrifying power surging through him.
"I didn't expect the gains this time to be this massive. I thought I'd have to slowly grow stronger through Gourmet Cells…"
"Instead, I surpassed the entire system in one leap."
Right now, he could effortlessly crush Acacia after devouring NEO—or Toriko after fully merging with the Red Demon.
Even the White Demon didn't scare him anymore.
Although he was no longer walking the Gourmet Cell path, he could still use the power of the three demons within him.
He could manifest them at will.
White Demon included.
And without any restrictions.
The White Demon's power alone was enough to overwhelm beings with Gourmet Cell levels over one hundred thousand.
But Kael's divine path surpassed everything at its core.
The White Demon's power could not affect a god.
Even a god who had only just begun to grow.
That was the tyranny of higher-dimensional life.
Higher dimensions could easily influence lower ones.
But for lower-dimensional beings to ascend—
That was nearly impossible.
On Earth, Kael was already invincible.
Even in the universe, he stood near the peak.
After all, he could freely wield the White Demon's power.
And once his own growth caught up—
Surpassing the White Demon would only be a matter of time.
Once his transformation was complete, he would become a true Gourmet God.
Newborn—
But undeniably a higher-dimensional sovereign.
In truth, he didn't even need to fully complete the transformation to surpass the White Demon.
Still, for now, he would rely on its power.
After all, Toriko also had the White Demon inside him.
If that guy Toriko ever decided to make a move—
Kael would have more than enough strength to push back.
As for whether Toriko would attack him—
That was impossible to predict.