After the three-minute break ended, both sides returned to the court. Oni served first in the opening game. As he stepped to the baseline, an overwhelming aura burst from his body, shaking everyone watching. At the same time, a faint black radiance slowly wrapped around him.
"Asura Path!"
The moment Oni tossed the tennis ball into the air, a massive blue phantom appeared behind him. As the sound of his serve cracked through the air, that giant figure swung its great blade down toward Tatsuta's position.
"Alternate Dimension—Second-Stage Demon God!"
"Ace! 15–0!"
Tatsuta stood frozen, stunned by the phantom behind Oni. He didn't even move until the ball flew past him and slammed heavily into the court. Only then did he slowly turn his head, eyes wide.
On Switzerland's bench, Amadeus's face darkened. He knew all too well what kind of mental pressure an Alternate Dimension brought—he had just been defeated by Akutsu's in their earlier match. The oppressive force of Oni's presence was suffocating.
Oni tossed the ball again. The Demon God phantom behind him raised its massive blade once more, and with the explosive roar of Oni's serve, the phantom's weapon came slashing down at Tatsuta again.
But this time, Tatsuta was ready. The white flames around him flared to life, and a seven-colored shield of light instantly formed before him. It blocked the giant blade's swing as Tatsuta swung his racket with all his might, sending the ball flying back.
However, before the ball even crossed the net fully, Oni was already at the center line. His body leapt upward, both hands gripping his racket as he struck the incoming ball with a fierce backhand.
A massive golden beam of light exploded across the court. Tatsuta gritted his teeth, tightening the muscles in both arms to resist the impact. But as soon as the golden light collided with his racket, his eyes widened in shock.
The weight pressing down on his hand was beyond anything he'd expected. Even when Oni had used the Radiance of Strong Heart earlier, it hadn't been nearly this powerful. Tatsuta's arm trembled violently—his racket was knocked clean out of his hand, and numbness spread through his wrist.
"Golden Great Broadsword!"
"30–0!"
With Oni's Alternate Dimension power fully unleashed, Tatsuta was completely on the defensive. He had to guard against both the phantom's mental pressure and Oni's overwhelming physical attacks, desperately trying to find a way to counter the Golden Great Broadsword.
In such a one-sided situation, Tatsuta began to falter quickly. Though he managed to seize a few points through tricky power adjustments, it barely affected the overall match flow.
"Game! Japan leads! 1–0!"
The second game was Tatsuta's service game. Standing at the baseline, he gathered every bit of focus and quickly tossed the ball up, launching an Aurora Ray with all his strength toward Japan's side.
Even with Oni's Alternate Dimension active, Tatsuta's Aurora Ray was too fast. Without the Radiance of Strong Heart boost, Oni couldn't guarantee consistent returns. The game turned into a back-and-forth exchange of points.
"Game! Switzerland! 1–1!"
In the end, the advantage of serving prevailed. With his Aurora Ray nearly matching the power of Ochi's Mach Serve, Tatsuta secured the game. Yet neither he nor the Swiss team showed any joy.
"Game! Japan leads! 2–1!"
After three games, both sides took a break. As Tatsuta walked back to the coaching bench, his expression was dark. If things continued like this, Switzerland's World Cup run was as good as over.
Coach Jin glanced at Tatsuta sitting beside him, then at Amadeus on the bench, sighing inwardly. No one had expected the once-overlooked Japan team to be filled with so many powerful players.
And this was without Byoudouin and Akashi even taking the court. If both of them had played today, Amadeus probably wouldn't have had a chance to step on court at all.
Thinking of that, Coach Jin sighed again. All he could do now was hope Tatsuta could find a way to deal with Oni's Alternate Dimension. But he knew the odds of that happening were slim.
When Oni returned to the bench, he immediately deactivated the Asura Path. Just like Ten'i Muhō, Asura Path couldn't be maintained for too long—otherwise, the buildup of negative emotion could cause a complete loss of rationality.
Soon, the fourth game began. When Oni stepped back onto the court, his body suddenly shone with bright blue light once again—he had reactivated Ten'i Muhō. But the most shocking thing was that the Demon God phantom behind him did not disappear.
"To maintain Alternate Dimension while still in Ten'i Muhō…?!" Even Byoudouin on the bench couldn't stay calm after seeing that scene.
Although Alternate Dimension and Asura Path weren't directly linked, the Asura Path usually boosted one's mental strength enough to make awakening an Alternate Dimension easier. That was why players typically activated their Alternate Dimension while in the Asura Path state.
But Oni was different. He had both Ten'i Muhō and Alternate Dimension active at the same time—something no one had ever seen before. At least, Byoudouin couldn't recall any player in history pulling that off.
When Tatsuta saw Oni's current state, a bitter smile crept across his face. His opponent hadn't even been going all out before this. From Tatsuta's perspective, Oni's power was already close to professional level.
By contrast, his own ability had stagnated at the world-class peak. That realization left a sting of frustration, but there was no time to dwell on it. At the umpire's signal, Tatsuta tossed the ball and began his serve.
With Ten'i Muhō activated, Oni handled Tatsuta's Aurora Rays much more easily, and his returns grew steadily more precise. Under this overwhelming pressure, Tatsuta once again fell behind.
"Game! Japan leads! 3–1!"
When it was Oni's turn to serve, the match became almost completely one-sided. Tatsuta moved desperately across the court, struggling to keep up with Oni's relentless attacks. The White Flame's support kept him from being entirely crushed, but only barely.
"Game! Japan leads! 4–1! Change sides!"
During the break, neither player spoke to their coach or teammates. Both simply sat in silence, recovering their strength. By now, even the coaches had nothing left to say.
As play resumed, things unfolded just as everyone expected. Though Tatsuta refused to give up and fought with all he had, he couldn't stop the steady loss of points. He could only watch helplessly as defeat drew closer.
"Game! Japan leads! 5–1!"
"Game! 6–1! Second set over! Winner—Team Japan! Total score 1–1! Final set coming up!"
———————————————
"Game! 7–6! Match over! Winner—Team USA! Total score 2–0!"
"The U-17 World Cup quarterfinal—Team USA versus Team Greece—ends with the United States claiming victory with three wins and two losses!"
At the USA–Greece match venue, Hermes stood still, staring down at his racket, guilt weighing heavily in his chest. The Greek team had held a clear advantage earlier, yet they'd still lost in the quarterfinals.
"I know you did your best, Kounellis! But losing happens. Just making the top eight this time is already a step forward for Team Greece," Zeus said with a soft smile as he looked at Hermes returning to the bench.
"I'm sorry, Zeus-sama! No matter the reason, Greece was eliminated because I couldn't win my match. That's the undeniable truth!" Hermes replied, his guilt unmoved by Zeus's words.
"When defeat is inevitable, then even defeat can be noble. Failure is the ultimate test of perseverance. And truthfully, I should take most of the blame for today's loss," Vulcan suddenly said, taking responsibility upon himself.
"Alright, enough! If we keep this up, even Taranta will start feeling guilty again~ Don't dwell too much on the result. What matters most is enjoying the match," Zeus said warmly, patting both of them on the shoulder.
With Zeus's calm reassurance, Hermes finally regained his composure. Together, the Greek players walked onto the court to shake hands with Team USA. However, when Dodo met the gaze of the Stephanopoulos brothers, his eyes still burned with anger.
The Stephanopoulos brothers, however, seemed completely unfazed. Their style of play naturally provoked resentment; they'd long accepted that. As long as they stayed within the rules and won the match, their strength spoke for itself—no matter the method.
Meanwhile, Ryōma and Zeus acted as usual. Ryōma, full of fighting spirit, looked at Zeus and declared that he would definitely beat him one day. Zeus only smiled, welcoming the challenge any time.
Elsewhere, Hopkins kept apologizing to Vulcan, asking repeatedly about his condition, which left the stoic Vulcan at a loss for words. Luckily, his cool temperament made it easy for him to shrug it off.
Up in the stands, the Spanish trio had already left. They'd only come to confirm the result of the USA–Greece match and observe Reinhardt's performance. Having done that, there was no reason for them to stay any longer.