"You…" Siegfried stared at Irie, who had activated Ten'i Muhō, at a loss for words.
"Ore-sama never knew you could use Ten'i Muhō," Atobe finally cracked a smile, though his tone was tinged with surprise.
"I didn't actually activate Ten'i Muhō, Atobe-kun! I just know the conditions required for it. As long as I use acting to trick my own brain, keeping myself in a state of pure love for tennis and never forgetting my original passion, my body naturally slips into Ten'i Muhō mode," Irie explained with a cheerful grin, stunning everyone present.
"Hah? What kind of joke is that?" Atobe's first reaction was disbelief. But then he thought about it again and realized… if it was Irie, it might actually be possible.
Their conversation, however, was like a hammer blow to Siegfried's heart. In Germany, even awakening the Light of Pride was rare. Many famous professionals had never managed it.
And the one who truly pushed the Light of Pride to its peak was none other than the legendary samurai—Echizen Nanjirō! For Siegfried, awakening it had been a source of immense joy and pride. But now someone was telling him that with enough will, you could enter that state anytime. How could his heart not collapse?
"This is bad… tch." For the first time, Bismarck frowned as he looked at Siegfried's expression. He knew the fragile confidence Siegfried had just regained was being crushed by that Japanese high schooler.
"Can acting really reach that level?" Kirihara muttered from the Japan bench, eyes wide with disbelief.
"If it's Irie-senpai, it isn't impossible. But to reach that point, your own strength has to already be on an incredibly high level," Yukimura answered seriously, his usual smile gone as his deep eyes focused on Irie.
"So you even fooled me, huh… Irie," Oni said with a strange tone that betrayed none of his feelings.
Akashi, on the other hand, remained calm. He had long known Irie had this ability. He just hadn't expected him to reveal so much during an exhibition match. Compared to the Irie in the original story, this Irie seemed to have changed significantly.
After a brief moment of surprise, Atobe didn't dwell on whether Irie's explanation was true or false. What mattered was that Japan still had the upper hand. He walked to the baseline, picked up a ball, and tossed it high.
With a sharp strike, the ball rocketed toward Siegfried's half, landing at his feet before flying out of bounds. Siegfried stood frozen, unmoving.
"Ace! 15–0!"
"Snap out of it, Elmer! This isn't the time to daydream!" Bismarck barked sharply.
His voice jolted Siegfried awake. He shoved aside his tangled emotions for now and stared intently at Atobe. If nothing else, Germany's elite education had at least instilled some discipline.
Seeing Siegfried return to his senses, Atobe smirked. The only reason he hadn't used Koori no Emperor earlier was because he had already noticed Siegfried was out of it.
"To be honest, Ore-sama's already bored of playing against Ten'i Muhō users. So let's see how Germany's Light of Pride measures up!" Atobe said as he tossed the ball again.
The serve carried a fierce shockwave, deliberately aimed at Siegfried. It was an open provocation. Siegfried tried desperately to recapture that fleeting sensation from earlier. But when the ball came flying at him, he still failed to enter the Light of Pride.
"Ace! 30–0!"
"What a fragile Light of Pride," Irie added mercilessly, cutting even deeper.
Bismarck could only watch helplessly. This was Siegfried's turn to receive, and he had no way to step in. All he could do was watch as his partner's unstable mind crumbled and his racket was knocked aside again and again.
"Ace! 40–0!"
"Game! Japan leads 4–1!"
"Siegfried's mindset has gone unstable. In his state, there's no way he'll be able to enter the Light of Pride again," Q.P. said with a frown.
"Irie Kanata of Japan, huh? He's a dangerous player. That kind of ability to see into people's hearts… if we don't plan carefully, he'll be pulling our strings," Volk said, arms crossed, his sharp eyes fixed on Irie.
Just from watching on the sidelines, Volk had already pierced through Irie's ability. It was no wonder he was the world's number one professional. His strength and insight were beyond the reach of ordinary players.
The sixth game came to Bismarck's serve. To be honest, he hesitated. Should he reveal his true power in an exhibition? If things continued like this, Germany was bound to lose. But if he exposed himself now, it could affect the official matches ahead.
Thinking this, Bismarck suddenly looked toward Siegfried at the front court. A new plan formed in his mind. He didn't hesitate any longer, tossing the ball high and unleashing a super high-speed serve.
But Irie, no longer holding back his strength, easily intercepted it. In his Ten'i Muhō state, his return was so fast it almost surpassed Siegfried's reaction. Luckily, Bismarck had already prepared and moved in time to cover.
From then on, the match almost turned into Bismarck playing one against two. With a temporary burst of power, he barely kept up with Atobe and Irie's rhythm, but it was messy. Many balls he only managed to reach by diving.
'Mikhail… damn it! What am I even doing?' For the first time, Siegfried saw Bismarck in such a state and shouted at himself inside.
But as the exchanges grew faster and faster, without entering the Light of Pride, Siegfried was almost unable to intervene. He could only stand on the side, unwilling, as if the other three had abandoned him.
Soon, under the constant pressure of Ten'i's radiance, even a quasi-professional like Bismarck started showing cracks. It wasn't enough to cripple his movements, but he could feel himself struggling.
"0–15!"
"Huuuuuh…" Bismarck let out a long breath, quickly calming himself. He turned back to the baseline without acknowledging Siegfried, who wanted to speak but hesitated.
"Looks like Bismarck values Siegfried's future. He's using this method to correct his mentality," Q.P. quickly saw through Bismarck's plan.
"Using a meaningless exhibition match to trigger Siegfried's potential is worth it in the long run," Volk didn't seem opposed to Bismarck's approach.
"Collecting data on Japan's middle schooler is now a top priority. Who would've thought there was still a hidden dark horse this year?" Q.P. said seriously as he began issuing instructions to the staff beside him.
While Volk and Q.P. were discussing, Atobe had already seen through Bismarck's absolute blind spots. Crystals of ice spread across the court again. Atobe aimed at the gaps in Bismarck's skeleton and smashed the ball.
To avoid injuring himself, Bismarck froze in place and watched the ball fly past him. Siegfried tried to cover, but he was already too late. The ball bounced out of bounds.
"0–30!"
By now, Irie had withdrawn from his Ten'i Muhō state. After all, his real purpose in activating it was to crush Siegfried's confidence, and that state was too difficult to maintain for long.
When Bismarck served the third ball, the rally resumed. But it wasn't much different from the earlier points. Even without Ten'i Muhō, Irie could still read Bismarck's movements with ease. As for Atobe, once he saw through the absolute blind spots, Bismarck could only watch himself lose points.
"0–40!"
Once more, Atobe froze Bismarck in place. Even though Siegfried barely managed to keep up this time and moved to cover, Irie's interference left Bismarck trapped in a one-on-one against Atobe.
Watching Bismarck return to the baseline, Siegfried's heart swirled with shame, unwillingness, and above all—hatred toward his own lack of strength. His mind drifted back to what Bismarck had once told him at the training camp.
"Always finishing second? That's an impressive ability, isn't it?"
"No matter the situation, you can consistently take second place. That's no simple thing. A player like you is exactly what a team match needs most."
'Yeah… why did I keep training until now? Was it just to beat Frankensteiner? No! It's for myself! Even if I can only ever take second, I'll still prove my tennis to the world!' A sudden clarity bloomed in Siegfried's heart.
On the court, however, Bismarck was again pushed down. Facing the sharp insight of both Irie and Atobe was already hard enough. Adding the need to hold back part of his strength made it even worse.
"Useless! Ore-sama has already seen through your absolute blind spot!" Atobe sneered coldly, his eyes flashing with icy light as he slammed the ball toward an ice crystal on Bismarck's left.
The crystal shattered, freezing Bismarck in place. His body screamed with warning signs as the ball was about to go out of bounds. Suddenly, a dazzling blue radiance burst from Siegfried. In an instant, he appeared in front of the ball.
Clutching his racket with both hands, Siegfried struck fiercely. The ball streaked away like a golden blur, flying straight for the baseline of the opposite court. His eyes lit up with joy, ready to say something—when an unexpected twist hit.
Mid-flight, the ball froze in the air, trapped by a strange black hole. Irie appeared with a smile, swinging his racket. The ball shot straight through both Bismarck and Siegfried, smashing into the corner and bouncing out of bounds.
"Game! Japan leads 5–1!"
"You were about to say that point was yours, weren't you? What a pity," Irie said with a cheerful smile, looking at Siegfried after scoring.