"No wonder he's the French Team's captain—Camus's strength has already stepped into the professional threshold!" In one corner of the audience, the members of the Greek Team had quietly arrived at the match venue. Hermes was the first to sigh in admiration.
"As expected, the Japan Team's overall power is truly unfathomable. If the French Team stops at the top 16 this year, the rest of the tournament will get interesting," Zeus said with a faint smile, though his gaze occasionally drifted toward Akashi at the sideline.
"Zeus-sama, the American Team has also arrived. Their match against us might be quite difficult," Hercules spoke up when he noticed Ryōma and his companions entering the arena.
"The American Team, huh? Indeed, they're not an opponent we can underestimate," Zeus nodded slightly, shifting his focus toward Reinhardt of the U.S. team, already planning how to arrange his future lineup.
On the court, Camus released a special wave of mental force. Then, centered around him, countless flowers sprouted from the ground, blooming in dazzling color. In moments, half the court had transformed into a breathtaking garden, petals fluttering endlessly in the air.
"So it really is an Alternate Dimension? Typical of you—abandoning Europe's mainstream path," Duke muttered softly as he looked at Camus.
Mitsuya had once mentioned that most of Europe's tennis style—players like Volk—relied purely on overwhelming five-dimensional attributes to win matches. Very few followed the path of Alternate Dimension like the Japan Team.
But the French Team was clearly an exception. From Edgard's Art Tennis earlier to Camus's current display, all of it was the power of Alternate Dimensions. Even in the original series, the match between France's Prince and Ryōma had ended with both sides clashing through their Alternate Dimensions.
In truth, when Duke first followed Byoudouin, he hadn't yet grasped any Alternate Dimension power. Only later, under Byoudouin's subtle influence, did he awaken to it, developing his destructive ability to the very limit.
To put it simply—Volk's path was pushing his physical prowess to the absolute peak, while the Japan Team members pushed their unique abilities to their limits. Whether it was Byoudouin, Oni, or Tanegashima, all were examples of that same path.
The reason Volk valued Ability Synchronization so highly was because he already stood at the world's summit. In the entire tennis world, almost no one could rival his physical strength. The fact that Byoudouin ended up gravely injured while Volk remained unharmed was proof enough.
No one could say which path—physical or ability development—was truly stronger, but one thing was certain: walking the path of ability development required extraordinary talent. Without special gifts, players could never even approach the professional level. Even lesser players like Sasabe possessed unique leg strength that set them apart.
Now, with his Alternate Dimension fully activated, Camus stood at the baseline. He gently kissed the tennis ball in his hand before tossing it high. Behind him, the illusory image of a giant rose slowly bloomed in midair.
As Duke focused all his attention on receiving, Camus took a slow step to the side. That small movement made Duke's pupils contract sharply—and the next instant, the umpire's voice rang out.
"Ace! 15–0!"
"That's weird! Camus's serve didn't look fast at all, so why did Duke-san just stand still and not move?" From the bench, Kai watched intently, confusion flickering in his eyes.
"Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami..." Tezuka's gaze was locked on Camus, his tone low and grave.
"But Duke-san shouldn't be affected by the Radiance of Strong Heart. So how did Camus pull that off?" Krauser asked, clearly puzzled after overhearing Tezuka's mutter.
Akashi didn't respond immediately. His body glowed with a faint silver light, the Omniscient Star fully activated, while the Emperor Eye's perception was pushed to its absolute limit.
On the French Team's bench, Tristan and Edgard exchanged glances. Both saw the same look in the other's eyes—'just as expected.' They knew exactly what Camus's Alternate Dimension was capable of.
"Ace! 30–0!"
While everyone was still discussing, Camus unleashed his second serve. Once again, Duke didn't react at all. To him, the feeling was just like facing Ochi's Mach Serve—he couldn't even sense the trajectory.
When Camus tossed the ball for the third time, an overwhelming aura erupted from Duke's body. A towering demonic phantom slowly rose behind him, radiating pure destructive intent. Yet even so, once the ball landed, Duke still couldn't respond effectively.
"Ace! 40–0!"
"You really chose the same path as me, Duke! Unfortunately, just relying on destructive power alone can't defeat me now," Camus said calmly, watching the demonic phantom behind Duke slowly fade away.
Right after speaking, Camus tossed up the tennis ball again, giving Duke no chance to respond. Under the bloom of the enormous rose-shaped aura, Duke lost the seventh game helplessly, and the Japan Team's faces all turned serious.
"Game! France! 5–2!"
When the match entered its next pause, Camus walked elegantly back to the French bench. Even though he had secured his service game with his Alternate Dimension, his heart wasn't at ease. The phantom behind Duke had emitted an extremely dangerous aura that he couldn't ignore.
"Seems like fate favors me this time... I hope you'll fully unleash your destructive power, Duke. If you do... perhaps then..." Camus murmured softly with his eyes closed, sitting quietly on the bench.
On the Japan Team's side, a golden glint flashed in Akashi's eyes. He had finally understood what Camus's Alternate Dimension truly was—but even he found the truth too absurd to share yet. Still, he was certain Duke must have sensed it too.
'So it wasn't a coincidence after all... Love and destruction, huh? What an incomprehensible pair of abilities,' Akashi thought as his gaze shifted back and forth between Camus and Duke.
"Got any countermeasure for Camus's Alternate Dimension, Duke?" Coach Mifune asked, looking toward Duke, who sat silently beside him.
"I'm not sure how he's doing it yet... but if it's an Alternate Dimension, then all I need to do is erase it temporarily, right?" Duke rubbed his bald head and replied with a grin.
"So that's your plan, huh? Then don't hold anything back. Go all out and win this damn match!" Mifune barked, not at all surprised by Duke's answer.
"Ah~ you don't have to tell me twice, coach. I was going to do that anyway," Duke said seriously, the smile vanishing from his face.
When the break ended, Duke slowly walked back to the baseline. With each step, his aura grew heavier and stronger. By the time he was ready to serve, a massive black demonic figure had completely materialized behind him.
"Alternate Dimension—Destruction Demon God!"
Camus stared at the giant phantom, his expression stiffening for the first time. He knew his earlier instinct had been right—this Duke was no longer the same as before.
'So this is the full extent of your destructive power? Fine then... let me experience it for myself, Duke!' Camus thought, locking eyes with him.
Without hesitation, Camus expanded his own Alternate Dimension again. The field was instantly filled with blooming flowers that spread across the ground and mirrored petals swirling through the sky, merging into a vivid scene before everyone's eyes.
Duke tossed the tennis ball high. A loud, explosive sound echoed as his racket struck. The ball transformed into a black shockwave, rocketing straight toward Camus. In the same instant, within the spiritual world, the demonic phantom raised its right hand and smashed it down mercilessly toward him.
For the first time, Camus's instincts screamed danger. Both his racket and his mind warned him simultaneously—this serve could annihilate him completely. He hesitated for a split second, wondering if he should dodge, but the ball had already slammed into the ground before him and shot upward toward his chest.
Reacting purely on instinct, Camus swung his racket. The moment the strings touched the ball, an unimaginable force surged through his arm, shaking his entire body. In the spiritual plane, the demon's massive hand struck him directly, shattering his balance.
A second later, Camus's racket flew from his hand as he dropped to one knee, grimacing from pain. The field of flowers and falling petals that formed his Alternate Dimension vanished without a trace.
"Ace! 15–0!"
"Destroying everything... that's not my path in tennis, but I can't deny—it's the key to victory," Duke exhaled deeply and said in a low, steady voice.
"So this is your ultimate destructive power, Duke? Perhaps I should thank you for letting me experience it firsthand," Camus replied softly as he picked up his racket again.
As he straightened up with calm composure, Duke didn't waste a second. He tossed the ball high to serve once more. Camus prepared to reactivate his Alternate Dimension—but froze the next instant in disbelief. He couldn't summon it.
The ball had already cleared the net, hit the ground, and rebounded sharply toward him. It was too late to dodge, so Camus barely managed to raise his racket in defense.
In the mental realm, the Destruction Demon God's colossal fist struck the earth, causing the entire court to crumble apart. The shockwave sent Camus flying with no chance to resist.
"Ace! 30–0!"
In reality, Camus barely kept his footing, but the overwhelming impact from the ball made any proper return impossible. He could only watch helplessly as it bounced toward the front court, struck the net, and rolled weakly to the ground.