Chapter 22: When the Protagonist Becomes the Soup

Leon floated in the void, his body a shimmering broth swirling with carrots shaped like existential crises. "I'm… *soup* now?!"

*"Ding! 🍜 Congratulations! You've unlocked [Primordial Soup Mode].

New Ability: **Time-Travel by Simmering** (Boil harder to revisit cringe memories!)."*

A fleet of tax dragons descended, their claws clutching IRS scrolls. "Your hair owes 8 billion sauce coins!" roared their admiral. "Pay up… *or we'll garnish your noodles*."

**Battle Phase 1: Soup vs. Capitalism**

- Leon splashed **Regret Miso** at the fleet, aging their gold into expired coupons.

- **Livestream Cheat Code**:

*"[SoupFanatic] donated 10M coins! Summoning **Quantum Noodle Storm**!"*

The dragons screamed as fractal ramen entangled their wings.

**Plot Twist**:

The Black Hole Critic materialized, scribbling angrily. "Your mom left me for a **Recipe**. Now I'll bury her legacy in 1-star reviews!" He unleashed a **Yelp Tsunami** of bad ratings.

**Climactic Confrontation**:

Mom's hologram flickered. "Leon, the Recipe's final ingredient is **sacrifice**. Become the universe's last meal… or everything ends!"

Leon's broth bubbled violently. "You want me to… *let the cosmos eat me*?!"

**Battle Phase 2: Flavor of Redemption**

- Leon used **Time-Travel Simmer** to revisit Mom's past, discovering her cooking the **First Soup** with the Critic (then a hopeful chef).

- "You abandoned *us* for power!" the Critic hissed, hurling a black hole **Michelin Bomb**.

- **VIP Move**: Leon merged with the bomb, transforming into **Galactic Ramen** that healed the Critic's bitterness.

**Post-Credits Bombshell**:

The System's core rebooted, projecting a new quest:

*"Final Mission: **Cook the Big Bang 2.0**. Ingredients: 1 universe (slightly used), 2 cups of chaos. Reward: [Chef God Title]. Penalty: Everything."*