"Isn't it a bit too soon to have Akashi-kun face No.3 Yamada?" Saitō Itaru said softly with some worry.
"This is the head coach's decision. We can only follow orders. With Oni-kun there, Akashi-kun's safety will definitely be fine," Kurobe Yukio replied calmly.
"That's right. Besides, it's a good chance for us to see what that kid's true strength really is," Tsuge Ryūji said with a hint of anticipation.
Akashi slowly walked onto the court. Following the umpire's instruction, he called heads or tails, and luck was on his side—he won the right to serve. Just then, Yamada called out from across the net:
"So you're that specially recruited first-year middle school brat? I don't know what the coaches were thinking bringing you in. You're so nervous you even forgot to take off your jacket—what a joke!"
Although the system had told Akashi he didn't have to mimic Gilgamesh, since he'd received this Dimensional Space, he wanted to see just how irritating Gilgamesh's sharp tongue could be. His eyes went cold, and in a calm voice, he said:
"A lowly creature destined to crawl on the ground, daring to dream of soaring in the skies where kings rule… Don't kid yourself! Zasshu!"
Everyone around the court fell silent for a moment. Even Oni looked at Akashi with an odd gaze, as if meeting him for the first time.
"When did little Akashi's mouth get so venomous?" Irie said in surprise.
"Those words are taboo in any kind of negotiation," Kimijima said, shaking his head.
Meanwhile, Yamada's face twisted, veins bulging on his forehead, looking on the verge of exploding as he shouted through gritted teeth:
"Damn brat! You're dead in this match! No one can save you—I promise!"
Akashi watched Yamada's furious face, secretly amused. 'As expected of Gilgamesh—if there's a king of trash-talking, it's you. Maybe that's why everyone in the Holy Grail War wanted to gang up on you—it wasn't just your strength.'
Ignoring Yamada's shouting, Akashi moved straight to the baseline to serve. Oni, watching from the sidelines, gripped his racket tightly, ready to rush in at any moment—he'd been asked by the three coaches to protect Akashi if needed, and since Oni wasn't currently in first-string, it wouldn't break any rules.
Facing a half-step world-class player, Akashi didn't hold back. He used his full power in his normal state, launching the ball across the net at blistering speed. The ball slammed into the front court, and before Yamada could react, it had already flown out of bounds.
"ACE! 15-0!"
Yamada was stunned. He'd underestimated the brat—being able to serve like that at his age was proof of genius. But Yamada loved crushing geniuses most of all.
Akashi served again with blazing speed. This time, Yamada focused, rushing to the landing spot and returning the ball. But Akashi, using his Emperor Eye, read every tiny move Yamada made, quickly taking control of the rally.
Yamada realized something was wrong: it felt like the kid could see through his every move—every return he made was anticipated perfectly. It was unbelievable.
"30-0!"
"40-0!"
"GAME! Akashi Seijurō! 1-0!"
Just like that, Akashi easily took the first game using his Emperor Eye, which made Itō furious—these two were the last third-year players left defending their pride.
"Hey! Yamada! Get serious! Losing a game to a brat looks pathetic!" Itō shouted angrily at Yamada.
"I know! Next, I'll make this kid experience what real pain feels like!" Yamada growled, his face contorted.
Standing on the baseline, Yamada rolled up his right sleeve to reveal a bulging, muscular arm. He tossed the ball up, and his right arm swelled massively, muscles flexing as he struck the ball with a thunderous crack. The ball rocketed toward Akashi's court with terrifying power.
"Cry out in pain! Collapse Mountain!"
Like Duke in the original story, Yamada was a pure power player, though he couldn't do a "shirt burst" yet. His Collapse Mountain was his signature move—he'd once used it to permanently cripple another player's right hand.
As Yamada served, Akashi's Emperor Eye picked up every detail of the ball's force. Without hesitation, he dashed to the landing point. The ball hit the ground hard, leaving a crater, then shot toward him.
The instant Akashi connected, golden light flared from the ball. The immense force seemed to vanish into his racket, and the ball transformed into a massive glowing sphere that he smashed back at Yamada.
"Glowing Shot!"
Seeing the glowing ball hurtling at him, Yamada's eyes narrowed. Veins bulged on his hands as he roared:
"Brat! Even Byoudouin can't beat me with Glowing Shots alone!"
His muscles bulged like steel cables, veins throbbing as he swung his racket at the glowing ball. But the moment it connected, the violent force transferred straight through the racket and blasted into the wall behind him, blowing a deep crater into it.
Yamada gritted his teeth, desperately trying to suppress the power of the ball. After a brief stalemate, he swung his racket violently. The tennis ball shot over the net with a blast of air, slammed into the ground, and embedded itself deep in the court, cracks spreading outward from the impact.
"Ground Splitter!" Yamada exhaled harshly, grinning viciously.
"15-0!"
"Brat! I'm not like those worthless weaklings you faced before. Ordinary Glowing Shots won't work on me!" Yamada shouted arrogantly at Akashi.
"You foolish creature. To dare defy me to this extent… it seems defeating you alone won't be enough," Akashi's icy voice rang out, his aura beginning to exude a lofty, divine presence.
Ever since receiving his Dimensional Space yesterday, Akashi's Glowing Shot had changed, as if it had fused with a new power. This match was the perfect opportunity to test it.
Yamada served again, still using Collapse Mountain. His hatred for Akashi was clear—he wouldn't rest until he crushed the boy completely. The ball bounced up, flying straight at Akashi's right hand.
But Akashi wouldn't let the ball hurt him. He swung his racket sharply, intercepting the ball as it glowed brilliantly once more.
Seeing Akashi prepare another Glowing Shot, Yamada sneered. He had already returned one before—this brat still didn't understand reality. He'd make sure the kid learned it now.
But then, the massive glowing ball began to spark with flickering electricity, surging with a powerful, indescribable force as it shot straight for Yamada.
"Glowing Shot—Mana Cannon!"
Yamada snorted coldly and lunged forward, gripping his racket with both hands and swinging fiercely at the incoming light ball, scoffing, "Hahaha! Brat! I told you! Ordinary Glowing Shots don't work on me. You're still—huh?! What… aaaargh…!"
A sudden, agonized scream tore from Yamada's throat. His body was hurled through the air, his racket flung high above him. The glowing ball smashed into the wall behind, detonating with a thunderous boom. The explosion was so fierce that even seats in the spectator area behind the wall were blown apart.
This Mana Cannon was completely different from a normal Glowing Shot. The ball contained a trace of Dimensional Space power, compressed at first and only released all at once when struck with enough force—making it far more destructive than an ordinary Glowing Shot, even stronger than Byoudouin's Destruction.
"15-15!"
As the umpire announced the score, everyone finally snapped out of their shock. Their eyes turned to Akashi, now filled with a trace of fear. Even Oni silently wondered if his Black Tomahawk could block a shot like that.
Akashi looked at the wreckage in front of him, clicking his tongue inwardly. He realized he couldn't casually use this move—it was too powerful, and drawing on Dimensional Space power consumed some of his mental strength.
"Did you guys feel that strange wave coming from Akashi-kun just now?" Saitō Itaru said uncertainly.
"It did seem like it, but with his age, it shouldn't be possible. Maybe it's a technique we don't know about," Kurobe Yukio replied hesitantly.
"I think so too. Otherwise, he'd really be a monster," Tsuge Ryūji added, shaking his head.
While the three coaches whispered among themselves, Yamada slowly got up from the ground, covered in dust, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He looked utterly miserable.
In that moment, a hint of fear appeared in Yamada's eyes as he faced Akashi. He'd never seen a Glowing Shot like that before—not even Byoudouin could unleash such power. His own strength was useless against it.
"Damn it! He's just a brat—how can he hit a ball like that? My arm's still twitching…" Yamada cursed under his breath.
But the match wasn't over. Forcing himself to pick up his racket, he moved to the baseline, ready to serve again. This time, he didn't use Collapse Mountain—his arm hadn't recovered enough to support it.
Without his special technique, Yamada's flaws were laid bare before Akashi's Emperor Eye. The game returned to the same pattern as before; no matter what Yamada did, he couldn't escape Akashi's control.
"GAME! Akashi Seijurō! 2-0!"
"GAME! Akashi Seijurō! 3-0! Change sides!"
By the end of the third game, Yamada's arm had recovered enough to use his finishing move again. During the break, Itō's cold voice reached his ears:
"Get it together, Yamada! You absolutely cannot lose this match—you know what will happen if you do!"
"Hah… don't worry. I know what needs to be done. That brat can't use that move repeatedly. In terms of power, no one but Oni can beat me," Yamada snarled, gritting his teeth.
As the fourth game began, Yamada stood at the baseline, tossing the tennis ball high and once again unleashing Collapse Mountain—this time even more powerful than before. But Akashi activated his ultra-wide defense immediately, greatly enhancing his neural reflexes.
Using Emperor Eye, he tracked the ball's trajectory and strength, then used his accelerated reflexes to execute the optimal return. With skills far beyond Yamada's and his Super Sweetspot technique, he rapidly absorbed the ball's power—similar in concept to Tanegashima's Halt Destruction Nothingness.
However, it wasn't as exaggerated as Halt Destruction Nothingness; if their strengths were closer, even Akashi couldn't replicate Tanegashima's precision. Once the ball's power was mostly neutralized, a dark light radiated from it before it suddenly vanished from everyone's sight.
"Dark Side!"
The entire court was instantly shrouded in darkness. Yamada panicked—he had never seen anything like this before. A massive ball of darkness appeared right in front of him.
While Yamada was engulfed in darkness, every weakness and opening on his body was perfectly revealed to Akashi's Emperor Eye. If Akashi's Emperor Eye were flawless, he wouldn't even need the Dark Side to pinpoint every vulnerability effortlessly.
In the end, Yamada was overwhelmed by the sudden darkness and failed to focus, unable to return Akashi's Dark Side. He was once again blasted into the air.
"0-15!"
Though the Dark Side wasn't as powerful as the Glowing Shot, it targeted the opponent's weak spots. Yamada suffered more severe damage than before, vomiting blood in midair before crashing hard to the ground.
He lay there for a while before staggering back up, looking utterly battered. On the sidelines, Itō looked ready to explode, unable to accept how the match was going.
"Oni! Did you see what Akashi-kun just did? What was that move?" Irie asked Oni with a grave expression.
"It looked similar to a Glowing Shot but much more sinister, striking directly at weak points," Oni said in a deep voice.
"Yeah, that move is dangerous. If I let my guard down, even I could get caught by it," Tanegashima added seriously, stepping closer.
Soon, after the umpire urged them on, the match resumed. Yamada, injured twice now, could no longer muster his powerful special shots, but Akashi showed no mercy—he continued landing Dark Sides, leaving Yamada bruised and bloodied all over.
"0-30!"
"0-40!"
"GAME! Akashi Seijurō! 4-0!"
"GAME! Akashi Seijurō! 5-0!"
"GAME! 6-0! First set winner: Akashi Seijurō!"
As the first set ended, everyone looked at the blood-soaked, tottering Yamada with a chill running down their spines, gaining a new understanding of Akashi's mercilessness.
Far from disgusted, though, Toono Atsukyou started to appreciate the first-year boy—Akashi's ruthless playstyle suited his tastes perfectly. Even if Akashi didn't use Toono's "art of execution," watching Yamada reduced to a wreck was plenty satisfying.
"Hah… hah… hah…" Yamada sat on the bench, panting heavily, every part of his body screaming in pain. His fury was palpable—apart from his match with Oni, he'd never been beaten up so badly.
"Damn it! Bastard! I… I won't let… you get away with this! Just… you wait! I'll… destroy you myself, you little brat!" Yamada gasped out viciously.
Rest time quickly ended, and the second set began. Seeing that Yamada still hadn't given up, Akashi grew annoyed, determined to end it quickly.
Once play resumed, Akashi hit several more Dark Sides. Though each sent Yamada sprawling and added to the score, Yamada kept getting back up, glaring at Akashi like a demon.
Akashi's eyes turned icier as he instantly entered ZONE, his eyes flickering with faint red lightning. He rushed the net, using a feint to shift Yamada's balance and force him to collapse to his knees in front of the net. Leaping high, Akashi's racket flared with dazzling light.
"Stay kneeling like that and remember this: your downfall was inevitable! Glowing Shot—Mana Cannon!"
On his knees, Yamada looked up in horror at the massive glowing ball descending on him. He frantically tried to will his body to move, but his shifted balance left him unable to stand in time—he could only watch helplessly as the ball crashed into him.
A piercing scream and a massive explosion rang out. Yamada fell into a pool of blood, unable to rise again. The match ended at that moment.
"GAME! 2-0! As the player is unable to continue, total score 2-0! Winner: Akashi Seijurō!"