Even though Sanada unleashed his Black Aura, it didn't completely nullify Akashi's Mental Pressure. It only eased the stiffness in his body slightly.
Akashi didn't look surprised at all. He simply tossed the tennis ball again and served with ultra-high speed. This time, a layer of lightning instantly flared across Sanada's body.
He appeared at the landing point in a flash, raised his racket high, and slammed it down on the bouncing ball. The tennis ball turned into a bolt of lightning and shot toward the opposite court.
"Swift as lightning!"
But Akashi's Emperor Eye had already seen through everything. Just as the ball crossed the net, he intercepted it, then hit a backhand. The ball exploded at Sanada's feet and flew out of bounds.
"Game! Fudomine! 2-0!"
No doubt, Akashi's Mental Pressure had heavily weakened Sanada's strength. It wasn't any weaker than Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami. Trying to resist it with just Black Aura was clearly not enough.
Fortunately, things didn't continue to worsen. With the protection of Black Aura, Sanada's mental strength stopped deteriorating, and the eyes in his mind began to fade away.
The third game was Sanada's service game. Standing at the baseline, he loosened up, then looked firmly at Akashi. Even though he knew Akashi had done something earlier, it didn't weaken his fighting spirit one bit.
He tossed the ball high and swung. The ball turned into a beam of light as it flew toward Akashi's side—not Swift as a Storm, just an ordinary Swift as the Wind.
'Did the suppression lower his attributes so much he can't use the evolved move? That doesn't seem right…' Akashi thought as he moved to the landing spot. But his Emperor Eye had already locked onto Sanada's motion.
After serving, Sanada surprisingly swung his racket to the left again. Akashi immediately understood his intention, but by then the tennis ball had already bounced in front of him—and then, with a bizarre 90-degree bend, veered hard left and flew out of bounds.
"Black Dragon Single Slash!" Sanada said sternly.
"Ace! 15-0!"
Akashi didn't look surprised at all. He had expected this. Back in the Kantō Tournament, Sanada had already started working on the prototype of the Black Dragon Double Slash.
But the crowd? Completely stunned. While they'd already seen many techniques defy common sense, those could still be explained away with spin or rare talent. And since most spectators didn't have enough spiritual force, they couldn't see the long spear projection from Akashi's Gate of Babylon just now.
But Sanada's move blatantly defied physics. The ball changed direction midair—sharply, at a 90-degree angle. This kind of visual impact was nothing like field-type techniques.
"Wait… is vice captain a mage now? Can he control the tennis ball with his mind?" Kirihara muttered from the front row, his head full of question marks.
"If I saw it right, Sanada swung again after the serve. Maybe that powerful swing created an air current strong enough to alter the ball's trajectory?" Yanagi murmured to himself as he pondered.
"Get outta here! Like that's even possible!" Jackal shouted in disbelief after hearing Yanagi's idea.
"It's probably because of that Black Aura surrounding him. Seems our vice captain was hiding a trump card all along~ puri!" Niō narrowed his eyes and smiled slyly as he watched Sanada.
"Eh? Sanada's Black Aura can do that too?" Marui said, looking surprised.
On the other side, Fudomine's group also stared at Sanada in mild shock. They didn't expect him to come up with such a weird move. Honestly, it would be a hassle even for them to face.
"So this is your growth, your progress, huh… Sanada," Tezuka said in a flat tone as he watched him.
"Superpowers… that's gotta be a superpower! I'm gonna become his disciple! Teach me your powers!" Kintarō's eyes sparkled as he shouted and started running toward Sanada, only to get yanked back by the scruff of his neck—courtesy of Akutsu.
As Kintarō flailed midair, Krauser suddenly shot him a cold look and said flatly, "Tōyama Kintarō. Quiet."
Kintarō froze in place, then nodded seriously. When Akutsu finally set him down, he stood upright and stiff, face solemn—anyone who didn't know better would think he had a calm personality.
"Tch. It's just him using Black Aura to forcefully bend the ball's path. What superpower," Akutsu scoffed.
"Sanada really thought up a move like that. It suits his personality," Tachibana said with some admiration.
Over in the stands, Shiraishi also watched Sanada intently. To be honest, he felt a little lost about his future. Would basic tennis still be useful going forward?
"Shiraishi! Stay true to your own path of tennis to the end. You'll gain unexpected rewards. Don't waver or doubt yourself so easily!" Watanabe Osamu saw through Shiraishi's thoughts and spoke directly.
"Sorry, Samu-chan! I got it!" Shiraishi nodded seriously after hearing Watanabe's words.
Back on court, Sanada had already pulled out another tennis ball from his pocket. The Black Aura around him grew even thicker, to the point where his figure looked blurry.
Without hesitation, Sanada tossed the ball high and used a combination of Invisible Backswing and Swift as the Wind. The ball sped across to Akashi's side of the court.
This time, Akashi's Emperor Eye clearly saw a flash of the future. Instead of focusing on the landing point, he moved to the right. At that moment, Sanada suddenly swung his racket through the air to the right.
Just as the ball bounced off the ground, it veered to the side. But Akashi was already in place. Seeing the incoming shot, he calmly swung his racket. The next thing Sanada knew, the ball smashed into the baseline and flew out of bounds right before his eyes.
"15-15!"
"He cracked my Black Dragon Single Slash on the second try?! Just how strong are you, Akashi Seijurō?!" Sanada's heart wavered.
Still, he didn't give up. For the next point, he used Black Dragon Single Slash again. The ball ricocheted to the left after bouncing, but Akashi had already seen it in his Emperor Eye. He easily returned the shot.
This time, Sanada didn't look as shocked. A flash of lightning sparked around him, and he instantly appeared at the strike point. He smashed the incoming ball with force. The ball turned into a lightning streak and shot across the court.
After crossing the net, it swelled into a massive ball of lightning, its terrifying power crashing toward Akashi. But the next moment, a ripple of dimensional energy surged from Akashi again.
Just like before, the moment the ball touched Akashi's racket, all impact and spin vanished—as if absorbed by something. Akashi casually swung his racket, and a rift in space tore open once more.
A long sword with a spiral blade slowly emerged, then suddenly stretched out dozens of times like a rainbow, slamming into Sanada's side of the court. A second later, a tennis ball landed at Sanada's feet, bounced out of bounds, and slammed into the back wall—leaving a half-meter-wide dent.
"Gate of Babylon! Caladbolg!"
"15-30!"
"As expected! That's a dimensional technique. But why is it different from before? A spear… now a spiral sword… what do these weapons represent?" Yukimura frowned deeply from the coaching bench.
Sanada, already aware that what pierced him earlier was an illusion, still couldn't move when faced with these weapon attacks. His body froze instinctively, frustrating him.
'If Single Slash isn't enough, then I'll have to try that move. Even if it's not perfected yet.' Sanada thought silently. He stepped over, took two tennis balls from a staff member, stuffed them into his pocket, then returned to the baseline.
With a loud smack, Sanada served Swift as the Wind again. The Black Aura around him thickened even more. Akashi's Emperor Eye saw a different future this time, making him curve his lips slightly in amusement.
Akashi didn't go for the landing point, instead moving a few steps to the left. After the ball landed, he jumped.
On the other side, Sanada first swung his racket to the left, then swung upward. Two gusts of air hit the ball in succession—the first deflecting it left, the second lifting it upward.
"Black Dragon Double Slash!"
Unfortunately, just as the ball lifted into the air, Akashi intercepted it with his racket. He slammed it hard. The ball became a blur and instantly appeared in Sanada's back-left corner, bouncing out of bounds.
"15-40!"
"A second deflection, huh? That's surprising. But as long as I can see the future, returning it is easy," Akashi said calmly, glancing at Sanada after scoring.
"Seeing the future?! Don't joke around, Akashi!" Sanada clearly didn't buy it.
Frustrated, Sanada didn't let Akashi respond. He fired off another Swift as the Wind serve, then launched Black Dragon Double Slash again. The ball curved twice mid-air.
But Akashi had already positioned himself at the ball's final path. In Sanada's stunned gaze, Akashi slammed it back. The ball smashed onto the sideline and shot out of bounds faster than before.
"Game! Fudomine! 3-0! Change courts!"
"I remember you asked me to go all out before the match. But now, you're already falling apart just because your technique got countered? Looks like you're still too weak, Sanada." Akashi's voice was icy, leaving Sanada momentarily speechless.