On the sidelines, the Japan Team finally began cheering for Atobe and Irie. Before the match started, they never imagined their side could completely suppress the German Team.
'That high schooler must have been hiding his strength. Otherwise, there's no way it was all coincidence. I didn't expect even I would be deceived! Tch…' Bismarck's sharp gaze locked on Irie across the court as he thought to himself.
"We've seen players pretend to be weak at the start of matches before, but to fool even Bismarck—he's the first. After this match, make sure to investigate this high schooler named Irie properly!" Volk said in a deep voice from the sidelines.
"Irie Kanata, huh? Understood. It seems this year's Japan Team is hiding plenty of cards. Bertie's intel was right after all!" Q.P.'s expression grew serious as soon as he heard Volk's words.
The third game came to Irie's serve. As he walked slowly to the baseline, he noticed Bismarck's sharp eyes fixed squarely on him. Irie froze for just a moment before quickly realizing what was happening.
"Yare yare… so I've been exposed, huh?" Irie sighed helplessly. His aura shifted in an instant, and the sweat on his face seemed to vanish like magic.
"So you're finally done hiding? I knew it wouldn't be that simple!" Bismarck immediately noticed the change and spoke without surprise.
Irie tossed the ball high, and with a sharp crack of the racket, the ball shot toward the left baseline corner. Bismarck's eyes narrowed as he flashed across the court, swinging hard.
The ball had barely cleared the net when Atobe suddenly appeared at the front. He volleyed it straight back, his shot aimed at Siegfried, ice spikes surrounding him from every angle. The ball shattered through one spike and shot toward the sideline, leaving Siegfried frozen in place, unable to move.
"Ice World!"
Fortunately, Bismarck made it in time to intercept. Seeing Siegfried still dazed, he called out to snap him back to his senses.
With Irie now involved, Bismarck could no longer hold both opponents back without revealing his full strength. The match finally returned to a true doubles pace as both sides began exchanging at high speed.
Before long, Bismarck realized Irie's strength was no less than Atobe's, and the two shared remarkable chemistry. That gave him a sinking feeling—because he knew Siegfried might not be able to keep up with the rhythm of the three of them.
But this time, Bismarck misjudged. Siegfried not only kept pace with the furious rally, he even gave Irie a fair bit of trouble. At that moment, an unprecedented light flickered faintly in Siegfried's eyes.
Unfortunately, Atobe was already growing impatient. A chilling gleam burst from his gaze as ice crystals spread across the court, and behind him loomed the faint silhouette of a frozen castle.
To Atobe's eyes, both Bismarck and Siegfried were nothing but skeletons. Irie also sensed Atobe's intent and moved in sync, unleashing Ice World as well to create an opening for him.
Although Bismarck could hide his own blind spots, Siegfried could not. Irie froze him on the spot. Bismarck was startled that Irie could use the same move, but he still rushed to cover for Siegfried.
Even so, Atobe's return locked him in place too. Bismarck sensed that if he forced his body to move, his shoulder would dislocate or twist. He could only watch the ball fly past.
"Atobe Kingdom!"
"15–0!"
"What are Bismarck and Siegfried doing? Why are they just standing still?" Gilles muttered from the German bench, confused.
"That was an absolute blind spot. Just now, Japan's middle schooler targeted Bismarck's absolute blind spot. Forcing a return would risk injury," Volk explained firmly.
"Atobe Keigo… seems Japan's middle schooler is pretty interesting," Frankensteiner muttered quietly.
"And Irie just used the same move as Atobe, striking Siegfried's blind spot. Those two are definitely not a simple pair," Q.P. added, having already committed both their names to memory.
In truth, Atobe Kingdom was rarely able to show its full power in doubles. If the opponent's partner covered quickly, the shot could usually be returned. But with Irie's support, Atobe Kingdom displayed its true might.
In the following rallies, no matter how Bismarck tried, he couldn't avoid the problem of absolute blind spots. His coordination with Siegfried was nowhere near the level of Mōri and Ochi; they couldn't cover for each other. They could only watch helplessly as points slipped away.
"30–0!"
"40–0!"
"Game! Japan leads 3–0!"
The crowd was nearly in a frenzy. A previously unknown Japan Team was crushing the nine-time champion German Team. Even if this was only an exhibition match, the sight was unbelievable.
"No wonder Kanata volunteered to team up with Atobe. Their complementary play is 1 + 1 greater than 2! At first I worried their similar styles might clash, but clearly not," Tanegashima commented with interest from the sidelines.
"Irie's goal is probably more than just this," Byoudouin said quietly, his deep gaze fixed on Irie.
"No matter what, if Bismarck doesn't bring out his full strength, there'll be no suspense in this match," Akashi said calmly.
Everyone nodded at Akashi's words. They all knew Bismarck, a quasi-professional, couldn't possibly have only that much strength. But since this was just an exhibition, it was obvious he wouldn't willingly reveal crucial intel.
Even Atobe and Irie weren't playing at full power. Irie went without saying, but Atobe was only showing a half-step world-class level at most. As for Siegfried… only he knew for sure.
The fourth game was Siegfried's serve. He walked silently to the baseline, the match weighing on him with crushing pressure. The Japan Team, whom he had dismissed entirely, had forced him into this pitiful state.
The thought filled him with bitter unwillingness. Back home in Germany, he had always been crushed by others, forever the runner-up. That was in Germany, where elite education was absolute. But now, even a Japan Team ranked outside the top twenty in the world had him pinned down.
With resentment burning inside him, Siegfried tossed the ball high. Just as he swung, a blue light suddenly burst from his body. In the next instant, the ball shot across the net, exploding by Atobe's feet before skidding out of bounds.
"Ace! 15–0!"
Siegfried looked at his hands in shock, stunned by the point. The blue glow faded quickly, almost as if it had been an illusion. But Siegfried knew it wasn't. Joy lit up his eyes.
"Hm? Just now… was that…?" Atobe narrowed his eyes, his tone uncertain.
"That's right, Atobe-kun, it's exactly what you think it was," Irie answered with a light laugh.
"Heh… I didn't think that guy had that kind of trick. But for Ore-sama, it's nothing worth mentioning!" Atobe sneered coldly, his tone dripping with disdain.
"Well then, Atobe-kun! How about teaming up with me for a little play later?" Irie said with a mischievous smile.
"I don't know what you're planning, but since you asked, Ore-sama will happily join in and have some fun with them," Atobe grinned back with a wicked look.
As the two whispered, Siegfried tossed the ball again. This time there was no blue glow, just a regular high-speed serve, which Atobe returned with ease.
The rally grew fierce again, but soon Siegfried found that sensation once more. The blue glow flared, faint particles swirling around him. His return shot blasted between Atobe and Irie, then bounced out of bounds.
"30–0!"
"Looks like it's true. Siegfried must have awakened the Light of Pride, though it seems he hasn't fully mastered it," Q.P. said seriously, eyes locked on Siegfried. Even as he spoke, the glow faded again.
"To awaken the Light of Pride under such pressure… that shows Siegfried does have potential to cultivate further," Volk added with a nod, agreeing with Q.P.
Bismarck seemed to notice Siegfried's state too. He deliberately eased up on his attacks, working with Siegfried instead. Siegfried's blue light flared again and again, faintly suppressing Atobe and Irie.
"30–15!"
"40–15!"
"40–30!"
"Game! Germany! 3–1!"
Siegfried clung to the fourth game with his faltering Light of Pride. Atobe's face remained expressionless, but his vanished smile told the truth. Irie, meanwhile, looked utterly shaken.
"Damn it! We had the upper hand just a moment ago! Is this the depth of Germany's strength?" Irie's face twisted as he glared at Siegfried, unwillingness in his voice.
"What's wrong? Weren't you two arrogant just now, Japan Team? Never seen the Light of Pride before?" Siegfried smirked, his confidence restored, openly mocking Atobe and Irie.
"Light of Pride? What's that? Is that what you used just now to win the game?" Irie demanded, eyes wide, his voice rising.
"Tch… can't believe you don't even know about the Light of Pride," Siegfried scoffed, dismissive, with no intention of explaining.
"I… of course I know! It's just that in our country, we call that move Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami!" Irie suddenly switched his tone. A smile returned to his face—and even more shocking, a dazzling blue glow erupted from his body!