As Yukimura lifted the illusion, the stunned audience suddenly realized the match had inexplicably ended—and with an unbelievable score of 0–6. The humiliation of such a one-sided loss left them speechless. The entire stadium erupted into chaos like an exploding pot.
"Hey, when that kid activated the dream, you lent him a hand, didn't you?" Oni turned toward Ochi, his expression suspicious.
"It was just a coincidence. Our mental forces happened to resonate for a moment," Ochi replied calmly.
Oni stared at him silently. Yeah, right... wait, something about that sounds off! But before he could think more, the tension in the arena spiked again—the situation wasn't looking good for the Japan Team.
Many of the spectators began questioning the umpire's ruling. They swore they'd just seen the score tied at 4–4, yet now it was suddenly 6–0! Wasn't this blatant match tampering?
The umpire looked utterly wronged. His call had been perfectly legitimate. In fact, any professional—or even an average tennis fan with basic rule knowledge—would have made the same judgment. Are you Australians just sore losers? he thought bitterly.
Meanwhile, back in the player lounge, the rest of the Japan Team stared wordlessly at the screen. Since they weren't at the venue, they hadn't been caught in Yukimura's illusion, but it wasn't hard to guess what had happened.
"This feels kinda familiar, doesn't it? puri~" Niō said with a teasing grin.
"Still… can Yukimura-kun really manipulate reality that far with just his mental power?" Fuji smiled faintly, though his tone carried genuine doubt.
"Don't forget," Akashi said lightly, "Ochi-senpai was also on the court. His mental strength isn't much weaker than Yukimura's."
Byōdōin stood silently off to the side, arms crossed. He didn't understand exactly what had happened, but he was undeniably impressed. His expression, however, remained stern and impassive as always.
Eventually, the chaos in the arena was brought under control by security. These guards weren't locals but professionals hired by the International Tennis Federation from agencies around the world—meant to prevent foul play, especially from host nations who might be tempted to pull dirty tricks.
Though such incidents couldn't be completely prevented—like the previous exhibition match between the Republic of Xia and the United States—the system had successfully reduced most off-court interference. The Australian crowd's riot this time was no exception.
Once the disturbance finally ended, the Japan Team was escorted safely out by the security staff. Yukimura himself hadn't expected that a small "lesson" for the audience would escalate so far.
By midday, everyone had returned safely to the hotel. The coaches didn't reprimand anyone over the incident—after all, it wasn't really Yukimura's fault. The Australian spectators just couldn't handle the psychological blow. In contrast, Japan's own audience had endured being reverse-swept three times before.
That afternoon, the team gathered in the hotel lobby to watch the Greece vs. England match broadcast. Unlike the previous day, when only the Data Team had watched, this time nearly everyone showed up—including Byōdōin.
In the second doubles match, Greece sent out a pair of middle school players. Akashi recognized them instantly—they were the Stephanopoulos brothers, the same ones who'd once been left covered in blood after their brutal fight with Tōno.
England's lineup, on the other hand, featured one first-year high schooler and one third-year middle schooler. Akashi found them oddly familiar but couldn't recall from where. In the original records, aside from Atobe's classmate, England's team had almost no presence at all.
The match started off normally enough—until one of the English players suddenly smashed a ball straight toward Orion's face. From that point on, the court turned into a battlefield. The English pair ruthlessly targeted the Greek brothers' bodies without restraint.
The long-haired player in sunglasses especially stood out. His control over rebound angles was disturbingly precise. Time and again, he struck the ball before it even touched the ground, using each ricochet to hammer the brothers with merciless precision.
Before long, blood streaked across both brothers' uniforms. As the English duo smirked in satisfaction, Apollo suddenly stood up. Blood ran down his chin, yet his lips curled into an eerie smile.
"The law of Moses says this—'For women such as these, the punishment is stoning.' What do you think of that?" Orion said coldly, wiping the blood from his face with a handkerchief.
"Sure," Apollo replied, matching his tone as he too wiped his bloodstained face. "But let the one among you who's never sinned throw the first stone."
In the hotel lobby, Toono suddenly froze, his pupils tightening sharply. His voice trembled with disbelief.
"This… this is from the Gospel of Jean, Chapter Eight! Don't tell me—they're descendants of the Stephanopoulos family… the Executioners?"
"Stephanopoulos? You mean the one you're always talking about—your favorite executioner, Jean Charles Stephanopoulos?" Kimijima asked, pausing in surprise at Toono's words.
Before Toono could answer, the sounds of the brothers' ecstatic shouting filled the broadcast, followed by the agonized screams of the English players. Everyone immediately turned toward the big screen.
"Greek Execution Law, Article 427—Monday's Flying Kites!"
"Greek Execution Law, Article 564—Countless Black Panthers!"
"Greek Execution Law, Article 913—Wishful Knee Splitter!"
"Oh my~ they're surprisingly resilient, aren't they, big brother?" Orion licked his lips, his tone dripping with cruelty.
"If they lose consciousness too quickly, it won't be fun anymore! That's why we'll keep using ordinary execution methods—punishment after punishment—until we finally finish them off with stones," Apollo said with a twisted smile, replying to his younger brother.
"You're right, big brother! The hunt's only just begun~" Orion's eyes gleamed as he stared at the two English players like prey waiting to be slaughtered.
The match turned brutally violent. Under the relentless assault of the Stephanopoulos brothers' Execution Laws, the English players completely lost the ability to fight back. They couldn't even forfeit; they were simply beaten over and over, sent flying and coughing up blood each time they hit the ground.
Eventually, the umpire couldn't take it anymore and called an end to the match. Both English players had completely lost consciousness—if the beating continued, there could have been real fatalities.
"Since the England Team is unable to continue, the doubles two match is over. Final score: 4–2! Winner, Greece!"
"Lord Zeus, those two sadistic youngsters are becoming more and more unrestrained. Isn't this getting out of hand? Their behavior could tarnish Greece's dignity," Hermes said as he watched the broadcast inside the player hall.
"It seems it's time someone reminded them of repentance," Zeus muttered, his brow furrowing slightly as he stared at the screen.
Soon after, the doubles one match began. Greece sent in two high school players, while England fielded two middle schoolers. Once again, Greece secured an easy victory, pushing England to the brink of elimination.
Just when the Japan Team assumed Greece had secured their advancement, everything flipped. In the following three singles matches, Greece lost every single one. England had sent out three third-year high school regulars, and Greece's second team members were completely outmatched.
In the end, Greece paid the price for their flawed strategy. But with that, Japan's advancement was essentially guaranteed—even if they lost to England the next day, they would almost certainly finish first in their group.
Not long after, Coach Mifune announced the lineup for tomorrow's matches. Everyone nodded knowingly—it was exactly what they'd expected. With that roster, it would be harder to lose than to win.
"Team Mei's main player—Byōdōin Houou! Members—Akutsu Jin, Duke Watanabe, Tokugawa Kazuya, Tanegashima Shūji, Tezuka Kunimitsu, and Atobe Keigo! You all got that?" Mifune bellowed, his voice echoing through the lobby as the Japan Team players stood to attention.
U-17 World Cup Group B – Day Two Match Schedule