Path of Darkness: First Stage
"Haha, not bad, not bad!"
"This is how you should use Qi!"
Struggling to his feet from the dented wire mesh, Muneyoshi beamed, his excitement undisguised.
Suddenly, he remembered something, quickly picked up the dropped racket, and got into position to catch the ball again.
"Keith, let's continue the match. Use that Universal Gravitation you just used. You said no one could catch it? I don't believe it. I'll definitely break your Universal Gravitation."
Muneyoshi said with some excitement.
Although Keith's Universal Gravitation technique has only just begun to show its power, it is already comparable to Byōdōin's still-developing world-class technique.
Moreover, because it is a fusion of mental power, physical strength, and technique, Universal Gravitation is more helpful to him than Byōdōin's special technique.
This is the perfect move for him.
Seeing Muneyoshi's expression, Keith's light blue eyes narrowed slightly, and he chuckled softly, "Your resilience seems pretty good..."
"If one shot isn't enough, I'll take another."
Keith once again gathered a massive airflow and unleashed the Universal Gravitation once more.
"Yes, that's it, that principle is truly wonderful..."
Muneyoshi's eyes were fixed on the tennis ball, which was drawn together by the Universal Gravitation. The Glowing Flame representing his spiritual power burned fiercely in his eyes as he continuously unraveled its mysteries.
"Hey Keith, you try mine too!"
Swish!
Saeki Muneyoshi holds a clapper in his right hand, raising his arm behind his head in a gesture resembling the back of a katana.
His left hand was loosely clenched in front of his chest, and a ball of purplish-black flame burst forth from his palm. His spiritual power ignited the flame, which devoured all light.
The shadow followed Muneyoshi's arm and instantly covered Muneyoshi entire body.
Sizzle!
The purplish-black flame in his palm collided violently with the air mass pulled in by Universal Gravitation.
At the same time.
"Splash, splash..."
A large shadowy curtain spilled out from behind Muneyoshi.
On the racket, which is interwoven with black and red, a dark, gleaming light envelops it, making it seem as if sparks are dancing on every thread of the racket face.
"Shadow Sever: Chaotic Flower Burial!"
Clang!
A curved, leaping Shadow Blade suddenly appeared on the court.
Keith and Lin Xiu's thoughts paused briefly at this moment.
Saeki Muneyoshi's figure flashed.
Then--
"Swish swish swish swish swish swish!"
A blade composed of shadows and spiritual flames slashed continuously through the air.
The massive cloud of air that flew in finally shattered under Muneyoshi's slash.
The shattered air masses were continuously eroded by the shadows, turning into black petals that drifted down...
The entire court seemed to be cleaved open by a dark, concentrated blade; the tennis ball flew back, tearing a thin thread.
The icy, pure darkness made the space itself seem somewhat distorted.
"What's this!"
A flicker of fear crossed Keith's eyes.
In his eyes, the black light was incredibly powerful, leaving him no time to prepare.
He couldn't avoid that ball either!
Forced to defend passively, he bent his elbow inward and blocked the ball back in front of his body.
"Ha!"
"Such force!"
The moment the tennis ball hit the racket, Keith sensed something was wrong. It wasn't just a powerful smash, but also an irregular drive.
Sizzle...
The violently twisting tennis ball kept tearing at his racket net, Keith's left wrist trembled slightly from the twisting force.
Muneyoshi's own swordsmanship system was perfectly demonstrated at this moment.
The increasing destructive power caused Keith to frown, a look of pain appearing on his face.
Immediately afterwards, Keith pressed down on his arm, his body suddenly twisting to the side. After giving his elbow enough room to turn, the aquamarine light reappeared.
"Ah, what a pity..."
Muneyoshi chuckled and stood still, not even glancing at Keith's struggling return of the tennis ball, and didn't move an inch.
Boom!
Keith managed to return the ball, and Muneyoshi expected, it landed out of bounds, leaving a deep ball mark on the court.
"30 to 30."
Saeki Muneyoshi's gaze was dark; after absorbing Keith's use of Qi, his own use of darkness began to change.
Something seems about to break through the soil.
This change was so wonderful that it reminded Muneyoshi of those masters who traveled the world collecting inspiration.
Through constant battles and clashes with different people, they are probably trying to find their own path and to fuel their evolutionary drive.
And now, he has found it.
With a flick of his eyes, an invisible flame entered Keith's body.
"Keep serving, Keith!"
No one has noticed the changes in Muneyoshi yet, and he doesn't go around showing off.
After glancing at Keith, whose racket was damaged by Muneyoshi's previous shot and who was replacing it, Muneyoshi said something indifferently and returned to the receiving area.
Muneyoshi's smash was incredibly powerful. He forcefully returned the ball head-on, and even Keith, who had a good grasp of the sweet spot, couldn't avoid having Fate racket damaged.
Upon hearing this...
Keith gripped his racket tightly with his left hand; those seemingly innocuous words hurt him more than hysteria.
Under the combined influence of Muneyoshi's mental power and darkness, Keith's emotions were ignited.
In an instant, the unbearable memories of the past resurfaced.
Keith felt all the humiliation, grievances, and anger from months ago flooding back into his mind and completely exploding.
"Prepare to bear my wrath!"
Swish!
The tennis ball was tossed upwards, and Keith's knees bent slightly.
"Drink!"
This time, he took long strides, his shoulder-length light golden hair fluttering in the wind, and his light blue eyes filled with a cold light.
With a gentle clench of his fist, a much deeper azure light, far more intense than before, appeared around his body.
Swish!
Keith swung his racket forward, and the ball of energy around him quickly shrank to the size of a washbasin.
Upon seeing this amazing skill reappear before his eyes, Muneyoshi still let out a gasp of amazement.
He didn't know if Lin Xiu and Keith were aware of this path that combined physical strength and mental power, a path that had never appeared before.
It can almost be said that he pioneered a completely new path in tennis.
Such talent and aptitude.
"What a pity..."
The tone of pity came out of Muneyoshi's mouth once again, which sounded extremely grating to Keith.
Keith felt a surge of anger rising within him; Muneyoshi's words seemed to remind him of those arrogant tennis players from prestigious families.
They were all so arrogant and overbearing!
"Drink it!"
Fueled by anger, Keith's aura surged again, then rapidly converged towards the tennis ball.
The deep blue light it emitted was exceptionally dazzling, and even more terrifying than the attack from before.
Bang!
With an angry roar, a ball of air, three points larger than the previous shot, burst forth as he struck the ball with his racket.
Immediately afterwards, the azure blue gas cloud erupted, growing larger and larger until it formed a wall of energy, and a fierce gust of wind and mental pressure swept towards Muneyoshi.
A deep blue column of air enveloped the tennis ball, creating a powerful spectacle.
"Keith, you probably can't hit many of those kinds of tennis shots anymore, right?"
Ignoring the massive air mass approaching, Muneyoshi watched as Keith slowly closed his eyes, his cold voice echoing clearly in his ears.
"Coincidentally, I can't really use many of my special techniques, and inspired by your Universal Gravitation pull, my dark magic has advanced even further."
"Heh, now I've finally perfectly stepped into the first stage of the Path of Darkness."
"You're quite lucky. I'll make you my first test subject for taking things a step further!"
As he finished speaking, Muneyoshi's gaze grew increasingly cold, and his dark and desolate aura made the surrounding air feel chilly.
Muneyoshi's sudden change sent chills down the spines of Lin Xiu and Keith on the court.
"Please don't die!"
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