Wham!
Wham!!
The intensity from both players kept escalating. Kamikawa, holding the serve, repeatedly rushed the net, occasionally throwing in some high lob shots to force Tezuka into smash returns. His offense was incredibly fierce.
On the sidelines, only Yukimura could keep up with the pace. The rest, including Sanada, couldn't follow Tezuka and Kamikawa's rhythm anymore.
"This... I..."
Sanada glanced at Yukimura beside him, who seemed lost in thought. In that moment, Sanada knew... he had lost again.
"Kamikawa, he..."
With every return, Tezuka's expression grew more serious. Having activated Muga no Kyōchi and delving deeper into its power, Tezuka's perception was constantly sharpening. He was amazed by the strength Kamikawa displayed. Where he could once spot mistakes, now there were none. Even with his own abilities amplified, he still couldn't find his opponent's weakness.
There could only be one explanation: Kamikawa was holding back!
In this high-intensity match, where their power and speed were initially on par, the balance should have shifted once Tezuka activated Muga no Kyōchi. Yet, the balance remained unbroken; in fact, a different kind of stalemate had emerged.
Tezuka was well aware of Muga no Kyōchi's side effects, and so was Kamikawa. Tezuka had shown the power of Muga no Kyōchi in a friendly match before the Junior Rally tournament. However, in that previous match, Tezuka had used Tezuka Zone multiple times, but this time, his Zone was sealed off by Kamikawa. Even with Muga no Kyōchi active, he couldn't break through.
Wham!
Wham!!
Two figures dashed across the court. Tezuka's movements weren't sluggish at all; instead, his offense grew more aggressive. His shot speed increased, yet he maintained the same quality, aiming every shot at Kamikawa's weakest points. However, facing Tezuka's relentless assault, Kamikawa's shot quality remained consistently steady.
"This is..."
Kamikawa sensed the spin on the ball intensifying. This guy, he's still trying to use Tezuka Zone?!
Then let's see if it works!!
Wham!!
"Game, Kamikawa, 2-2!"
Wham!
"Game, Tezuka, 3-2!"
Wham!!
"Game, Kamikawa, 3-3!"
The score was neck and neck. With each fierce exchange, sweat began to bead on both players' foreheads as the match progressed.
Wham!!
Tezuka lowered his racket and hit another high-quality Zero-Shiki Drop Shot.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!!
The moment the ball landed, it involuntarily rolled backward.
"Game, Tezuka, 4-3!"
"Change sides!" The umpire raised his hand and called out loudly.
The seventh game concluded, allowing both players a brief moment of rest as they switched sides.
"Muga no Kyōchi is powerful, but without being able to activate your Zone, how much longer can you keep this up?"
Kamikawa paused as he walked past Tezuka, speaking calmly. There wasn't a trace of a smile on his face, only seriousness. This match saw Tezuka repeatedly using the Zero-Shiki Drop Shot, which already put a severe strain on his elbow. Not to mention, from the very beginning, Tezuka had been consistently imparting a unique spin to the ball. Since the start of the match, Tezuka had intentionally and unintentionally increased the ball's spin. That specific spin was crucial for forming his Zone technique. First, Tezuka Zone, then the Zero-Shiki Drop Shot – even if his elbow wasn't a problem initially, this would definitely make it one.
"I want to win."
Tezuka lifted his head, his gold-rimmed glasses catching the sunlight, momentarily shining brightly.
Yes, he wanted to win!
Tezuka possessed his own unique pride. Even before he joined the Seigaku tennis club, he only wanted to win every match he participated in. This was also why, in another timeline, a late-arriving Tezuka would challenge the champions and runners-up of the Junior Rally tournament—Sanada and Yukimura. He wanted to win; even if he missed the match, he would actively seek out the tournament's top players to prove that his strength was second to none.
Kamikawa tightened his grip on his racket. This guy is just too stubborn. In every timeline, he always had this temperament. At Seigaku, it was for the team; in Germany, it was for himself, sticking to his own path.
Because of that, Kamikawa couldn't afford to lose this match either.
"The Pinnacle of Perfection... how much strength do you have left to use it now?"
Kamikawa looked at Tezuka and muttered to himself, "It's about time to end this."
"What?!" Tezuka froze, turning his head to look at Kamikawa.
But Kamikawa ignored Tezuka, took a ball from the ball boy, and walked towards the baseline.
"That guy..." Yukimura's hands rested nervously on the fence as he watched Kamikawa with extreme vigilance. He still has something up his sleeve? Is it a bluff, or is it true?!
Suddenly, Yukimura's heart was filled with conflicting thoughts. If it was true, it meant Kamikawa hadn't used his full strength against him in their previous match.
Phew...
Kamikawa gripped his racket tightly and took a deep breath.
The next moment, Kamikawa tossed the ball high into the sky, bending his knees, leaning back, and leaping up in one fluid motion. Just as the ball began its descent, he brought his arm forward, swinging his forearm with a sudden surge of power.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!
A sharp, piercing sound erupted! The glowing yellow tennis ball plummeted like a cannonball onto Tezuka's side of the court. What followed was a bizarre, distorted trajectory that simply slipped past Tezuka's feet.
Boom!!
The luminous yellow light dispersed as the ball slammed into the back concrete wall, sending it flying high into the sky. Tezuka's pupils constricted into pinpricks. He remained in his previous crouched position, ready to receive the ball, as if frozen in place.
"1, 15-0!" The umpire's voice trembled. He had never seen such a terrifying serve before.
Hiss~
As the umpire's words fell, a collective gasp swept through the spectators.
A direct point! An ace serve! This was the only direct point serve in the match. Even with Muga no Kyōchi activated, Tezuka hadn't managed to win a point outright in that game. It was the only ace of the match, and its value was incredibly high.
"W-what was that just now?" Sanada's voice wavered.
"The trajectory of that ball... the angle was just too extreme," Mukahi swallowed hard. "And the force it bounced off with."
"The spin on that serve can be that twisted?" Shishido recalled the strange black blur that flashed across the court in an instant.
It was such a rapid serve. The moment it landed, the bounce angle was incredibly low, and the spin was astonishing, almost as if it were slithering on the ground before violently hitting the wall and shooting upwards. Was this really a serve a human could achieve?!
"This... this serve, when did he learn it?" Tezuka regained his composure and turned to look at the mark the ball had left on the concrete wall. A high-speed serve with incredible spin and a shocking bounce angle.
"Here I come, Tezuka!" Kamikawa's lips curved into a smile as he loosened his arm.
This was Kamikawa's unique serve—Golden Snake Dance!
Wham!!
Soon, Kamikawa hit another Golden Snake Dance. The moment the ball landed, it rapidly jiggled forward, almost skimming the ground. This time, Tezuka reacted, but the ball shot past him, violently hitting the wall and bouncing upwards!
"30-0!"
Wham!
"40-0!"
Wham!!
"Game! Kamikawa, 4-4!"