Seiya's Unfathomable Depths!

"Senpai, what exactly is a Half-Volley?"

Shiba Saori kept snapping photos of Seiya while once again asking Inoue beside her a beginner's question.

"A Half-Volley is an advanced technique where you quickly hit the ball the instant it bounces off the ground.

If your timing isn't precise enough, you'll either miss the ball or have it bounce straight into your face.

A normal Half-Volley is returned at the instant the ball bounces, but Seiya just hit it back before it had even bounced.

That's far more impressive than an ordinary Half-Volley. It demands even greater speed and reflexes from the player. You could even call it a Super Half-Volley."

The same explanation was being given to Inui and the first-years from Seigaku.

After finishing his explanation, Inui pushed up his glasses and continued, "To hit a Half-Volley before Fuji's Swallow Returns to Nest touches the ground, sharp reflexes alone aren't enough. That Seiya's Sprint speed is also astonishing.

But even now, I still can't tell what kind of Tennis Footwork he's using."

Tennis had many different kinds of footwork. For example, Ryoma used the Single-Leg Basic Shuffle, which could make him a step and a half faster than ordinary people with every movement.

The Sprint footwork Seiya was using was clearly a special technique as well, yet even Inui, Seigaku's tennis expert, could not figure out exactly what method Seiya was employing.

"Sōji Ashi... that's the special footwork he's using, though it's been modified."

Hearing Tezuka suddenly say that, everyone from Seigaku looked utterly confused, having no idea what "Sōji Ashi" meant.

However, Inui, Seigaku's strategist, and Ryoma, the resident cool guy, both showed looks of realization. "So it's Sōji Ashi. No wonder it felt so familiar before."

"Sōji Ashi is a special type of footwork used in kendo. I used to spar with my grandfather from time to time back home, so I recognized it just now.

And this Wenren Seiya, whether it was his earlier swing or the ones he's making now, gives off a sharp, fierce feeling.

He must be a formidable kendo practitioner who has incorporated swordsmanship into tennis. That is probably his tennis style."

"Fudomine's Wenren Seiya scores! 30–15!"

Just as Tezuka revealed the essence of Seiya's tennis, Fuji looked at the tennis ball rolling behind him. His already serious expression became even more astonished.

His Swallow Returns to Nest had been perfectly returned by Seiya's Half-Volley!

In just three shots, his opponent had seen through his Swallow Returns to Nest and returned it.

"Fudomine's Wenren Seiya really is strong. But I won't lose so easily either."

To be honest, even Fuji felt tremendous pressure from the talent and strength Seiya had displayed.

Since Tezuka, Seiya was the second opponent to make him feel such immense pressure.

But just as he had said before, he had his own reasons why he could not lose!

The serve was returned again, and Fuji used Swallow Returns to Nest once more. But Seiya, having already grasped its rhythm, hit it back with another Half-Volley before it could touch the ground.

Yet as if he had anticipated this moment long ago, Fuji had already moved to the landing point after seeing where Seiya struck his Half-Volley, then directly sent the ball toward Seiya's opposite side.

"Beautiful! He hit it straight to the complete opposite side. Even if Seiya's Sōji Ashi is fast, he...

No, is that guy a monster? In the blink of an eye, he's already run to the other end of the court!"

Fuji's dangerous shot was once again steadily received by Seiya, who returned the favor with an eye for an eye, sending the ball into the far corner on Fuji's other side.

Fuji did not possess Seiya's special footwork and only managed to reach the ball with great difficulty.

The ball he barely returned was now soaring high through the air, about to fall into Seiya's court.

The Fudomine players revealed excited expressions at the sight before them, because this kind of lob was a perfect opportunity to score with a smash.

Over on Seigaku's side, those who had noticed Fuji's intentions were already smiling knowingly.

Watching the lob in the air, then looking at Fuji, who had already moved to the baseline, Seiya grinned.

Knowing the story, he naturally understood what Fuji intended to do. But faced with such an invitation, he had no reason to back down.

After several rapid Sprint steps, Seiya gripped his racket tightly and leaped high into the air.

The instant Seiya went for the smash, everyone from Seigaku became excited.

They knew Seigaku's genius, Fuji Syusuke, very well. Among his three signature returns was one move specifically designed to counter smashes: Bear Drop!

"Wenren Style Fourth Form—Army Breaker!"

Leaping high forward, Seiya switched from a one-handed grip to a two-handed grip in midair. Not only was his grip unusual, but he no longer struck the tennis ball with the racket strings, instead using the frame of the racket.

Though he was supposedly playing tennis, Seiya's motion as he leaped forward looked more like he was swinging a blade through the air!

Struck directly by the racket frame, the tennis ball visibly deformed in midair before instantly blasting out in an extremely unstable trajectory!

"Fuji, get out of the way! You can't return that ball!"

"Fuji, that shot has too much power! Don't force yourself!"

The instant the tennis ball was launched, Tezuka and Coach Ryuzaki, seated beside the court, could tell that this shot was anything but ordinary and hurriedly told Fuji to give up and dodge.

Yet Fuji seemed not to hear them at all. He still ignored everything and assumed the stance for Bear Drop.

Faced with Fuji's reckless decision, Tachibana Kippei, seated by Fudomine's coach's bench, admired Fuji's spirit but could not help shaking his head with a sigh. "Fuji, do you intend to use those skinny arms of yours to take Seiya's move head-on?

Even if Bear Drop can reduce the power of a smash to some extent, Seiya's shot is no ordinary smash!"

As Tachibana Kippei spoke, he could not help lowering his head to look at his right hand.

That was right. Tachibana Kippei had experienced Seiya's Army Breaker just last night.

Thinking of the racket that had flown several meters away and his arm that had gone numb afterward, Tachibana Kippei could not help showing lingering fear.

He had once thought his own tennis was excessively violent, but after witnessing Seiya's smash, he realized that he had actually been rather gentle.

The rapidly descending tennis ball shot down from the sky like a bolt of lightning. A cloud of dust rose up as it slammed into the court, leaving behind a deep crater.

Fuji assumed the Bear Drop stance, but at the last moment, the ball changed trajectory and fell past the edge of Fuji's racket.