At that moment, Byoudouin suddenly stood up from the bench, his face filled with shock and disbelief. He had been silently watching the match, but that last shot was like a bomb going off—it completely shattered his calm.
"That shot just now...!" Byoudouin muttered under his breath, his voice trembling in astonishment.
"The Ability Resonance caused by love and destruction! Before the ball was hit, it was completely broken down by Camus's destructive force and turned invisible. Then, at the perfect moment, under his control, it reformed and was reborn with new life. That must be the 'Creation' Camus mentioned!" Akashi explained steadily, his calm demeanor showing that he had already predicted this.
"Ability Resonance… and it's triggered by one person alone," Irie sighed softly, glancing at Duke with sympathy. He knew Duke's strength well, but against Camus's overwhelming, almost supernatural power, even Duke could only sigh in frustration.
On the court, Duke was deep in thought. That last shot had completely nullified his perception. The ball had vanished from the world itself—no sound, no trace, nothing to follow. It wasn't an illusion like Kamikakushi; it was something far more unbelievable, and that was what truly shocked him.
He recalled the moment Camus swung his racket—the instant their powers collided, his destructive energy and Camus's power of love had intertwined. It was like two immense forces clashing and merging, creating something far greater than either alone.
'So this is Ability Resonance...?' Duke thought, his mind flashing back to Ochi and Mōri's match during the Shuffle Battle. As the realization struck him, he suddenly lifted his head and looked straight at Camus, disbelief flickering in his eyes.
"Looks like you've figured it out, Duke!" Camus said with a confident smile. "Yes, this is the new power born from love and destruction. I call it—Creation!"
Duke's lips parted slightly as if he wanted to respond, but before he could speak, the referee's voice echoed through the stadium, signaling him to serve. He paused for a moment, exhaled slowly, then shrugged helplessly before stepping back to the baseline.
Taking a deep breath, he steadied his emotions, gripped his racket tightly, and fixed his gaze on Camus. Then, tossing the ball high, he struck it with full force, sending out a thunderous destructive serve.
But now, that kind of serve posed little threat to Camus. Even without using Creation, he returned the shot effortlessly.
Watching the ball fly back at him, Duke gave a bitter smile. He knew the gap between them was growing wider with each exchange. Still, he refused to give up. He poured every ounce of strength into the rally, trading shot after shot as the crisp sound of impacts echoed across the court.
Unfortunately, it only lasted a few volleys before Camus's counterattack once again disappeared from Duke's sight. His instincts screamed, and he turned reflexively, but he still couldn't locate the ball.
Then came a faint sound. Duke followed it—and there, above the net, a tennis ball slowly materialized from thin air. It looked as if it had traveled from another world, radiating a mysterious aura.
Moments later, the ball dropped lightly onto the ground with a clear bounce. Duke stared at it, unable to hide his awe at the sheer power of Camus's Creation.
"0–30!"
After achieving resonance between love and destruction, Camus had fully dominated the match. No matter how wildly the Demon God's shadow raged behind Duke, it could no longer alter the course of the game.
"0–40!"
"Game! France! 2–1!"
As the match entered a short break, Duke's eyes showed a trace of disappointment—but beneath that, his will remained unbroken. He took a deep breath, turning that frustration into resolve. Then, slowly, a familiar grin returned to his face.
The next second, Duke walked firmly back to the bench. That confident smile of his seemed to tell everyone watching that he wasn't defeated—just waiting for the right moment.
"Ability Resonance… As expected, the French captain Camus is truly formidable," Polk said in a low voice from the stands.
"But in today's elimination round, France has already lost," Q.P. replied firmly. "Aside from Camus, no one on their team can stand against Akashi Seijurō."
"You're both right, Blue Bird," Ken Lendoll added, his tone unusually serious. "Once we return, we need to prepare in advance. Switzerland is strong, yes—but Japan still has a chance. I have a feeling our semifinal opponent might just be Japan."
On the other side, among the American team, Ryōma watched as Duke was completely overpowered, his face showing clear disbelief. The strength Camus had just displayed went far beyond anything he had imagined.
"So a single person can trigger Ability Resonance too?" Ryōma muttered softly. Earlier, Reinhardt had already seen through the essence of Camus's Creation and explained it to everyone.
At that moment, on the Japan bench, no one knew what to say. All they could do was stare at Duke with worried eyes. But Duke himself only smiled, showing no trace of frustration from his previous loss.
"Watch Camus's swing carefully," Coach Mifune said, his voice carrying a rare hint of helplessness. "Even if you can't see the ball, you can still roughly predict its trajectory. Until you figure out a way to counter his Creation, you'll have to rely on your instincts, Duke-boy."
"Yes, I understand, coach!" Duke nodded firmly, his expression serious.
"Don't overthink it, Duke! Just give it everything you've got. We worked hard to make it into the lineup, and honestly, I was hoping I'd get a turn on the court too~" Irie's relaxed voice came from behind him.
"Yeah, you're right, but I think it's better to finish this match as soon as possible. So, sorry, Irie," Duke turned to him with a grin and replied.
As soon as his words fell, the timeout ended. Duke stood up, his eyes burning with determination. He swept his gaze over his teammates, took a deep breath, and steeled his will. He knew he couldn't let them down—and he wouldn't allow himself to walk away with regrets.
When Duke returned to the court, the aura surrounding him hadn't weakened. If anything, it was growing stronger. He knew the coming battle would be tough, but surrender wasn't an option.
"Even if Duke loses the Singles 3 match, you probably won't get to play as Singles 1, right? You don't actually think Akashi-chan will lose, do you?" Tanegashima said with a teasing chuckle, glancing at Irie as Duke stepped back onto the court.
"Yare yare~ can't you just let me hold on to a little impossible fantasy, Shū-kun?" Irie sighed, giving his friend a helpless look.
As the fourth game began, Camus stood on the baseline, a confident smile on his face. He already saw the light of victory ahead. To him, this match no longer held much suspense.
He understood well that between his Creation and Duke's Destruction, there existed a natural hierarchy—Creation could always neutralize Destruction. Every time Duke unleashed that annihilating power, Camus's creative energy could immediately respond, dissolving it in its own unique way.
But Duke wasn't aware of this. His eyes glinted with fierce intensity as he locked on to the ball in Camus's hand. The instant Camus launched a blisteringly fast serve, Duke reacted.
His muscles tensed and swelled as he pushed off the ground with explosive force, sprinting like a wild predator toward the bounce point. The moment the ball rose from the court, he roared and swung his racket with every ounce of power he had.
In their shared mental realm, the towering Demon God behind Duke flared with a crimson gleam in its eyes. Then, it leapt high into the air, its massive fists crossing as it brought them down toward Camus like a mountain collapsing from the sky.
But Camus was ready. A shield of blooming flowers materialized before him, radiant and delicate. It rose to block the descending strike—but under the Demon God's overwhelming might, it shattered after only a brief instant.
The same battle played out in reality. Duke's forehand exploded like a missile aimed straight at Camus's baseline. Yet Camus didn't flinch; he met the shot calmly, swinging to intercept.
But the moment racket and ball met, a blinding golden light burst forth from the impact, flooding the entire court in a brilliant flash that forced everyone to shield their eyes.
Camus's right hand went numb instantly. It felt as if all strength had been sucked from his body. His racket flew from his grasp, carried by the impact—along with the ball—straight out of bounds.
Behind him, the twin-rose Alternate Dimension shattered, breaking apart into glittering fragments before fading into the air like mist. The arena fell silent. Every spectator stared, stunned by what they had just witnessed.
"0–15!"
"Was that just now… Byoudouin's Destruction?" Haruno asked nervously from the Japan bench, swallowing hard.
"You really think Duke became No. 3 in the team just for his power alone?" Byoudouin replied slowly, his tone calm but proud. "His technique ranks easily among the top ten of the First String. Pure striking skill is nothing new to him. That shot wasn't my Destruction—it was a new variant Duke developed himself, combining his own destructive force into a special Glowing Shot."