"Game! U.S.A.! 2–2!"
Inside the stadium hosting the match between the United States and Greece, the tension was at its peak. Every spectator's eyes were wide open, as if they wanted to etch every detail of the court into their memory.
Their heartbeats matched the rhythm of every rally, overwhelmed by the sight before them—a first-year middle school player from the U.S. standing toe-to-toe against the world-renowned Greek captain, Zeus. The scene was beyond imagination.
Echizen Ryōma stood on the court, facing Zeus's thunderous serves. There was almost no room to counterattack. Zeus's serve was lightning itself—swift, crushing, and powerful enough to tear through the entire court.
Even so, Ryōma didn't give up. He fought back with all his strength, enduring the overwhelming might of the thunder. Though it seemed he was on the verge of collapse, his indomitable spirit moved everyone watching.
On the opposite side, Zeus watched calmly. His eyes were sharp, studying Ryōma, whose body now shone with two radiant lights. In truth, Zeus wasn't using his full strength—he had lowered the power of his Thunder Serve to its minimum. He didn't want to injure Ryōma; he wanted to experience the power of those dual radiances in battle.
From the sidelines, Ralph Reinhardt's gaze was locked on Zeus. He had noticed Zeus wasn't going all out. That world-shattering serve from the group stage hadn't even appeared yet. Reinhardt knew Zeus was testing Ryōma—searching for the weakness in his dual radiance.
And indeed, Zeus was doing exactly that. During the match, he had sealed his Sixth Sense. His battle with Akashi Seijurō had made him realize that relying too heavily on his sixth sense was a flaw. To overcome it, Zeus developed a reverse technique—by suppressing his sixth sense, he could amplify the power of his Olympus Rainbow Light.
Meanwhile, Ryōma combined his two radiant powers, pushing his shot speed to an entirely new level. Many times, even when Zeus reacted, he couldn't reach the ball in time. Ryōma managed to hold his serve thanks to both Zeus's restraint and the dual-radiance amplification.
Yet Ryōma's situation wasn't favorable. His Radiance of Solitude, while strong, was neutralized by Zeus's divine aura. And the Radiance of Love was offset by the Olympus Rainbow Light. Unless Ryōma found a new breakthrough soon, he wouldn't be able to seize the advantage.
"I've already seen through your dual radiance, boy. So now, let's bring this match to an end," Zeus said from the baseline, his tone calm and resonant.
"Oh yeah? Well, I've already figured out how to handle your Thunder Serve. Sure, let's finish this," Ryōma replied, a confident grin spreading across his face.
As his words fell, a towering samurai phantom appeared behind him. It was far larger than any previous Alternate Dimension form, and the biggest change—two long blades gleaming in its hands. The sight made both Zeus and the U.S. team pause for a moment.
"Second-Stage Samurai Alternate Dimension!"
"Heh, in Japanese terms, I suppose this would be a true Nitōryū, right?" Zeus chuckled, watching the dual-bladed phantom behind Ryōma.
Ryōma didn't answer. His focus was locked entirely on Zeus, waiting for the serve. Seeing that, Zeus smiled faintly and tossed the ball high. At the same moment, thunder rolled across the sky, lightning bursting in the air as if countless bolts were about to strike down.
A flash of dazzling light split the sky as the ball—transformed into a bolt of thunder—crashed violently into the U.S. half of the court. Ryōma's body shone with a brilliant cyan glow as he dashed forward toward the rising ball without hesitation.
The instant his racket met the ball, the familiar shock and numbing weight surged through him. Ryōma's arm trembled, and within a heartbeat, the racket was torn from his grasp. In his mental world, the samurai's left-hand blade shattered under the thunder's force.
But before anyone could react, Ryōma spun around sharply, catching his falling racket in midair with his right hand, while his left hand immediately reinforced the grip. The samurai phantom mirrored him—raising its remaining blade high and striking down with both hands against the descending thunder.
A fierce roar escaped Ryōma's throat as he swung. The unthinkable happened—Zeus's Thunder Serve was returned for the first time. The Greek players froze in shock. Even the weakest version of that serve had overwhelmed most world-class players, and yet Ryōma had sent it back.
Zeus blinked in mild surprise, but soon his usual composure returned. He stepped aside deliberately, letting the ball pass cleanly by. It landed squarely on the baseline, then bounced out of bounds.
"0–15!"
"Echizen Ryōma… truly worthy of that man's son," Zeus murmured softly—the first time he had spoken Ryōma's name during the match.
The atmosphere at Japan's match venue was heavy and tense. Every member of the Japan Team wore a grim expression. They had already lost two matches. If they lost either of the next two singles—Singles Two or Singles One—their World Cup journey would end right here.
"Tch! I'll go take the win in Singles Two first. After that, it's on you!" Akutsu suddenly stood up, his fierce eyes locking onto Oni across the bench.
"Heh~ Time to prove your manhood! As for me… even if I have to drag my opponent into hell with me, I won't lose!" Oni replied, his aura flaring up like a demonic blaze, giving off the impression of a real ogre crawling out from the depths of hell.
Akutsu clicked his tongue but didn't argue further. He grabbed his racket and started walking toward the court. But after just a few steps, Byoudouin's voice came from behind him.
"You know the situation now. Even if it costs you your life, you must win this match!"
"Hah?! Don't order me around, bastard! There's no way I'm losing this one!" Akutsu snapped back harshly, glaring over his shoulder before continuing toward the court.
On the other side, at Switzerland's bench, Amadeus slowly stood up, expressionless. He picked up his racket and walked toward the court with calm, deliberate steps. It was clear Switzerland had planned this from the start—after forfeiting Doubles Two, they were aiming to sweep all three singles and eliminate Japan outright.
As Amadeus rested his racket on his shoulder, a dark and oppressive aura emanated from his body, chilling everyone nearby. Many spectators felt a crushing pressure deep in their chests, a primal sense of fear.
Alexander Amadeus.
"The next match is Singles Two! Switzerland—Alexander Amadeus (third-year high school)! Japan—Akutsu Jin (third-year middle school)! Players, please enter the court!"
Akashi stood quietly on the sidelines, watching the two walk up to the net. A faint sigh escaped him. It was almost like fate—just as in the original tournament, Japan was on the brink of elimination, and Akutsu was stepping up to face Amadeus once again.
The only difference was that this time, it was the quarterfinals, not the group stage. The pressure on Akutsu was far heavier. But his current strength far surpassed the Akutsu from that earlier time.
At the net, Amadeus was the first to extend his right hand—a mark of professionalism. No matter the opponent, proper etiquette must be observed. Akutsu, though wearing his usual fierce scowl, still reached out his hand. The handshake was brief and cold, ending almost instantly.
For some reason, just looking at Amadeus's face irritated Akutsu. An unexplainable disgust welled up in him, the same kind of feeling he'd once had when watching Akashi unleash his Dark Side.
"It seems Japan's lineup made a mistake—sending a middle schooler to play in such a crucial singles match," Amadeus said indifferently after the handshake.
"Hah? Guess I'll just have to beat that arrogance out of you, Swiss bastard!" Akutsu barked, rage flaring as his killing intent surged, pressing forward like a wild beast baring its fangs.
Amadeus felt that pressure and frowned slightly. The next instant, his own powerful aura burst forth, clashing with Akutsu's in midair. The space between them crackled with tension, like two magnetic fields violently colliding.
The veteran umpire sensed the danger immediately. He raised his voice, signaling both players to decide the serve order quickly. Hearing that, both reluctantly pulled back their auras. In the end, luck favored Akutsu—he won the toss and gained the right to serve first.
"The match will be best of three sets! Japan to serve first!"
Standing at the baseline, Akutsu's body began to emit a black-and-red aura. From the very start, he had entered his Wild Instinct state. As he tossed the ball upward, a faint silver wolf's phantom flashed across his form and vanished.
'So Akutsu's developed his wild instinct to this level? Looks like this match will be worth watching,' Akashi thought, his eyes gleaming with sharp light. He had absolute confidence in Akutsu—no matter if his opponent was a professional, Akutsu wouldn't lose easily.
The instant Akutsu struck the ball, a deep wolf's howl echoed through the stadium. As the ball soared through the air, it shimmered, transforming into a radiant full moon that bathed Switzerland's entire half of the court in pale light.
"Howling Moon!"
Amadeus froze for a split second, stunned by the dazzling moon above him. When he came to his senses, he rushed toward the landing spot—but it was already too late. The ball slammed hard into the back-left corner and bounced out of bounds.
"Ace! 15–0!"