"I'm really curious right now—if Duke faced Byoudouin, who do you think would win?" Irie asked with a playful smile, looking at Duke from the Japan Team's bench.
Unfortunately, Byoudouin remained calm and unbothered, eyes fixed on the court as if he hadn't heard Irie at all. That made Irie pout in disappointment, though Tanegashima quietly gave him a thumbs-up of support.
On the court, Duke tossed up the tennis ball again and launched another powerful serve toward Camus. This time, however, Camus was prepared. Even though he still couldn't use his Alternate Dimension, returning Duke's serve was something he could handle.
In the spiritual realm, Camus struggled to dodge the attacks of the Destruction Demon God. His once-elegant movements had turned unsteady—something none of the French players could have imagined before the match began.
But even as Camus fought back with all his strength, he was slowly being crushed by Duke's Alternate Dimension. The pressure of an Alternate Dimension wasn't only about its power—it also exerted immense spiritual dominance. Unless someone like Volk, a pure data monster, few could resist such overwhelming force through willpower alone.
Camus was no exception. Unable to summon his own dimension, he soon exposed an opening under the Demon God's pressure. Duke seized that chance and smashed out a destructive home run.
"40–0!"
"Camus..." Tristan's expression tightened with concern. Though he had absolute faith in Camus's strength, it was clear the match's momentum had shifted against him.
Yet Camus quickly regained his composure. After the initial shock faded, his calm returned, and the faintest smile curved his lips. When Duke fired his fourth serve, the image of a rose flickered briefly behind Camus.
That sudden vision made Duke's eyes widen. He wondered if he had imagined it—but as their rallies continued, Camus's Alternate Dimension was somehow recovering, though Duke couldn't understand how.
Seeing this, Duke's expression hardened. The muscles in his right arm tensed as he swung fiercely toward the incoming ball. The impact created a black shockwave, while behind him, the Demon God raised its massive hand again and slammed it toward Camus's half of the court.
But this time, something unexpected happened. Camus didn't try to block the shot; he sidestepped instead. The tennis ball crashed into the backcourt, bouncing out of bounds, and the Demon God's strike hit nothing but air.
"Game! Japan! 5–3!"
"To complete a revolution, the most important thing is to learn from experience—to avoid repeating the same mistakes," Camus said softly. Though he had lost the eighth game, there wasn't a hint of frustration or regret on his face.
'Duke's destructive power is accelerating Camus's growth... this isn't good,' Akashi thought, frowning slightly. Through the Emperor Eye's insight, he could see the energy within Camus growing stronger, spreading like new life taking root.
Still, Akashi knew that if Duke didn't use his Destruction Demon God, he'd lose even faster. It was a deadlock either way. But since Japan's players were experts at breaking through during crisis, the match remained unpredictable.
As Camus returned to the baseline, his Alternate Dimension's aura was almost fully restored. And sure enough, the same breathtaking scene reappeared—flower petals swirling in the air and a radiant field of roses blooming beneath his feet. Duke couldn't help but feel a faint sense of helplessness.
Even though the Demon God had destroyed Camus's Alternate Dimension earlier, he hadn't managed to unravel Camus's serve. When the giant rose bloomed again, Duke froze once more, reacting too late as the ball flew past him and out of bounds.
"Ace! 15–0!"
"Ace! 30–0!"
'This isn't just the Light of Pride... Even if that glow interferes with my reaction speed, it shouldn't completely blind me to the ball's path! And why... why does it feel like there's something off about Leopold himself?' Duke thought grimly, standing deep in the backcourt after losing another point.
As Duke pondered this, Camus launched his third serve. When the ball landed, Duke instinctively stepped toward the right baseline—but the ball had already bounced out of bounds.
"Ace! 40–0!"
"So, you noticed after all? Well, I suppose that's only natural..." Camus murmured softly after seeing Duke's reaction.
'That familiar feeling just now—what was it? I can say for sure, it wasn't Leopold's Love ability!' Duke ignored the approaching set point, frowning deeply as he tried to understand what that strange sensation had been.
But by then, Camus had already tossed up the ball. As the giant rose phantom bloomed behind him, the ball shimmered faintly and shot toward the opposite court. The moment Camus swung his racket, Duke suddenly closed his eyes. Then, just as the ball crossed the net, he snapped them open and dashed to the far left corner.
"I don't know what that feeling was, but at least I finally cracked this serve!" Duke shouted, swinging his racket with all his strength as he struck the ball.
The return carried a destructive aura, roaring straight toward Camus. Behind Duke, the Destruction Demon God's massive hand mirrored his motion, smashing forward with the same force. Yet because of Duke's rushed reaction, the power wasn't strong enough to destroy Camus's Alternate Dimension.
Still, Duke began charging up for another attack—but suddenly, a golden blur flashed past him. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Camus in shock.
"Game! 6–3! First set over! Winner: France! Overall score 1–0!"
"You made a fatal mistake just now, Duke," Camus said quietly, meeting his gaze after winning the first set.
Duke didn't reply. He knew Camus was right. He had let his guard down. But at the same time, an absurd theory had begun forming in his mind—one that even he found hard to believe.
"Duke-senpai actually lost the first set... this might be a problem," Fuji said worriedly from the bench as Duke walked back.
"Tch! That French guy managed to restore his Alternate Dimension so fast! How the hell did he do that?" Akutsu muttered irritably. The last time Duke had shattered his dimension, it had taken several games to recover—and that was only because Akutsu had made a small breakthrough in strength.
"Who said Camus restored his Alternate Dimension?" Akashi's calm voice cut through the noise, confusing everyone.
"Huh? What are you talking about, Akashi-senpai? We all saw his dimension come back just now!" Kirihara frowned, unable to make sense of it.
"Wait... Akashi, do you mean that Camus has two Alternate Dimensions—like you do? Maybe both forms just look really similar?" Chitose asked suddenly, his imagination running wild.
Akashi turned to Chitose with a rare look of surprise. The idea sounded ridiculous, but it was surprisingly close to the truth.
"No. I'm certain Camus hasn't awakened two Alternate Dimensions. His just happens to be... extremely unique. I believe Duke-senpai has already sensed it too," Akashi said, denying Chitose's theory and turning to Duke at the coach's bench.
"You mean... you figured it out, Akashi-kun? But something like that—even for Leopold—that's just too absurd!" Duke replied, too shocked to even take a sip of water.
"Famous detective Sherlock Holmes once said, 'When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how absurd, must be the truth,'" Atobe suddenly interjected, quoting in a confident tone.
"You actually read Sherlock Holmes?" Akashi turned toward him, clearly taken aback, disbelief written across his face.
"Don't give me that look, Akashi! Ore-sama's hobbies are very diverse!" Atobe huffed, glaring back in annoyance.
"Alright, that's enough," Byoudouin interrupted before their argument escalated. "Trust your instincts, Duke. I know you'll find a way through this."
"Got it, boss!" Duke answered with his usual easy grin.
Over on the French bench, Camus sat with his eyes closed, seemingly in deep meditation. The rest of the French players didn't dare disturb him—his current aura felt completely foreign, even to them.
"Who do you think will win this match?" Dodo asked curiously from the stands.
"Logically, it should be Camus," Kiko replied after a moment. "But since it's the Japan Team, you can never be sure. They always find a way to flip things around."
"What about you, brat?" Ryōga asked, looking toward Ryōma with a teasing grin.
"Duke-senpai still hasn't shown his full strength yet. But honestly, it doesn't matter who wins in the end—they won't be a match for us anyway," Ryōma said confidently, his expression brimming with self-assuredness. His time with the American Team had pushed his abilities to a whole new level.
"Oh? Is that so? Then tell me, Ryōma—what if your opponent was me?" Ryōga's playful smile faded, his eyes sharpening as he asked in a serious tone.