"So that's what Yukimura meant earlier when he asked for your guidance. He actually learned your Zone?" Krauser finally understood Yukimura and Akashi's conversation and looked at Akashi in surprise.
"Actually, Yukimura's Zero Senses Tennis is very close to my Zone, just not as explosive. I only guided him along the way," Akashi replied calmly, watching Yukimura step into Zone on court.
"Zone! I heard about it when I was in England. They say it's a state that lets the body go beyond its limits, but only certain people can enter it, and it can't be controlled at will. I always thought you were the only exception, Akashi!" Atobe said, astonished as he looked at Yukimura's state.
"Don't make Zone sound so complicated, Atobe. It's just another state similar to Ten'i Muhō. Ten'i emphasizes speed, while Zone emphasizes full explosive output," Akashi explained lightly.
"But if I remember right, Zone consumes a huge amount of stamina. Yukimura used it this early—can his stamina last until the end?" Kite asked suddenly.
"Don't worry~ I've improved Zone many times. The stamina drain is much lower now. Besides, Yukimura isn't even using the normal Zone. Keep watching and you'll see," Akashi said patiently, answering Fudomine's doubts as always.
Akashi knew Zone's weakness well, so ever since he mastered it, he had been working on ways to overcome its massive consumption. After extensive research, he had fully modified Zone. But the deeper exhaustion issues still hadn't been solved, which was why he normally didn't use it casually.
"So this state… Akashi-kun's technique? Good. Let me see how much has changed!" Oni thought of his match with Akashi a year ago as he looked at Yukimura's form.
With Oni's sharp gaze locked on him, Yukimura tossed the ball and unleashed an ultra-fast serve. Oni only felt his vision blur before hearing the ball hit the ground at his side. By the time he reacted, the ball had already bounced out.
"Ace! 40-15!"
"Two hundred fifty-seven kilometers… give me a break~ That's already close to Ochi's sixty-percent-limited Mach Serve!" Omagari's eyes widened in shock at the speed radar reading.
"It's fast, but still not quite at Shū-kun's level. Oni should adjust by the next ball," Irie said, surprised as well but still confident in Oni.
Sure enough, on the next serve Oni burst out with all his speed, flashing to the spot and hammering the ball back. But Yukimura in Zone was far beyond normal speed and intercepted it with ease.
The rally reignited instantly. This time the pace shot up sharply, so fast that players with weaker dynamic vision couldn't even see the ball anymore.
"To keep up with Ten'i Muhō so easily… though still weaker than Kaji. Black Tomahawk!" After more than ten fierce exchanges, Oni seized his chance and smashed out a powerful Black Tomahawk.
The ball turned into a beam of black light, roaring toward Yukimura. But Yukimura held firm with both hands and returned it cleanly, pale-blue lightning flashing from the corners of his eyes.
Seeing his Black Tomahawk countered, Oni's face darkened. He still had trump cards, but he could already tell that to win this match, he'd need everything.
They fought through several more rallies before Yukimura finally caught a tiny opening and finished with a crosscourt winner to the baseline, taking the game. Oni could only sigh inwardly—Yukimura's fundamentals were too solid, leaving no gaps.
"Game! Second String Selection! 2-1!"
"Oni-senpai still hasn't realized he's slowly stepping into the huge trap Yukimura set," Tezuka said seriously.
"A rare moment we see eye to eye, Tezuka," Sanada nodded in agreement.
"Hah? What are you talking about? Don't tell me there's something this ore-sama doesn't know!" Atobe frowned at the two of them.
"Don't worry, Atobe. Oni-senpai's future is about to be stolen by Yukimura," Yanagi Renji said, which only made Atobe even more confused.
"Exactly. Renji and I have already prepared the data. Mitsuya-senpai was right—information can be a deadly weapon," Inui's lenses flashed as he spoke with a small smile.
Back at Nationals, although Hyōtei and Seigaku both arrived late to the venue, Seigaku had Inui, so they already knew about Yukimura's Future Steal. But Hyōtei's members hadn't fully understood it.
While everyone was still talking, the match on court had already entered a fierce rally. Oni, wrapped in Radiance of Strong Heart, and Yukimura, in Zone, refused to give an inch. Their strength was nearly equal, so every ball became a deadlock.
But gradually, Oni felt something was off. It was as if Yukimura could already predict his shot routes ahead of time, giving him the illusion of facing Mitsuya.
"0-15!"
"0-30!"
"0-40!"
"Strange. Their strength is clearly about the same, Oni hasn't fallen behind, so why is Yukimura slowly taking the points?" Toono frowned, puzzled.
"It feels like Yukimura's playing Data Tennis. What do you think, Mitsuya?" Irie turned his head and asked.
"This isn't Data Tennis. Yukimura-kun must have already mastered Oni-senpai's data. That's probably the handiwork of Inui Sadaharu and Yanagi Renji," Mitsuya answered with a smile, though he didn't mention Yukimura's Future Steal.
"I'm kind of regretting not watching the middle school Nationals semifinals. I heard Yukimura's match against Tezuka was really intense~" Tanegashima said, sounding a little annoyed.
"Game! Second String Selection! 3-1!"
"So you've seen through everything? You must have studied me a lot before the match, Yukimura-kun!" Oni said, staring seriously at him.
"Of course. After all, Oni-senpai is one of the strongest players in this camp~" Yukimura admitted without hesitation.
"One of them? Hmph! I am the strongest man on the Japan Team! Get ready to go to hell, Yukimura-kun!" Oni growled, displeased by Yukimura's words.
Then Oni suddenly released Radiance of Strong Heart. While the crowd wondered what he was doing, an overwhelming aura exploded from his body. Black light wrapped him, the atmosphere turned sinister, and a massive shadowy figure slowly appeared behind him.
"Path of Asura! Alternate Dimension—Oni God!"
Seeing this, Yukimura immediately summoned his Alternate Dimension, Morpheus. The court split into two extremes—one side shrouded in Oni's ominous demonic aura, the other glowing with Yukimura's sacred radiance.
The two Alternate Dimensions clashed fiercely. With Asura's boost, Oni's mental power still didn't match Yukimura's, but at least he wasn't being completely crushed.
"We don't know Oni's exact five-dimension stats, but according to the analysis team, his power should be over 10 points. Meanwhile, Yukimura Seiichi's mental strength is nearly on par with Byoudouin! Each side has their own edge," Kurobe Yukio whispered to Mifune as he watched.
"Oh? What's Byoudouin's latest number?" Mifune asked, intrigued.
"Not exact, but his mental power is around 13 points," Kurobe replied.
"I see… what an impressive kid," Mifune said, watching Yukimura with satisfaction. He didn't care much for stats, but beyond a certain threshold, they were proof of true ability.
Inside the mental world, Morpheus and the Oni God were locked in a titanic battle. The Oni God's long blade slashed down again and again, while Morpheus's giant butterfly wings beat out strange waves, pinning the Oni God in place.
In reality, Yukimura and Oni's exchange grew even fiercer. With Alternate Dimension backing him, Oni's offense became even more brutal, and he completely resisted Yukimura's Five-Sense Nullification. Even the instant deprivation that worked before was now useless.
But Oni's face was still grim. Since earlier, visions of himself making mistakes kept flashing in his mind. He didn't understand why, but he knew it was caused by Yukimura's ability.
Frustrated, Oni gripped his racquet with both hands, spun in place, and unleashed a crushing Black Tomahawk, the ball streaking toward Yukimura as a beam of black light.
But the next instant, another vision struck—he saw the ball smash between his feet and bounce out. Right then, Yukimura, empowered by Zone, exploded with strength. The ball turned into a blur and slammed between Oni's feet.
In the mental world, Morpheus's wings blasted the Oni God away, slamming it hard into the ground. The earth shattered, and cracks split across the Oni God's armor.
"15-0!"
"Your future is already mine, Oni-senpai," Yukimura said coldly after scoring.