The Pinnacle of a Thousand Forgings

"Ace, 15–0."

As the searing flames faded, only a faint smell of burning seemed to linger in the air.

Tezuka had regained the ability to move, but now he stood completely frozen in place.

For a brief instant just moments ago, everything within his field of vision had vanished.

Only endless darkness and ever-growing flames remained.

Aside from the dazzling flash of sunlight that had flickered past, time and the space around him had both seemed to pause for a millisecond!

It was the same move he had used to return Akutsu's smash earlier!

He could use it to serve, too!

And the effect of the serve was even more terrifying!

Tezuka glanced behind him. A bright yellow tennis ball lay quietly on the ground.

His pupils contracted. He turned to look at Muneyoshi, his eyes full of shock.

At the side of the court, Akutsu Jin seemed to have been reminded of some terrible memories by that move. An aura that warned everyone to stay away radiated from him.

The match continued, and Saeki Muneyoshi was still serving.

"Here it comes!"

Bouncing the ball again, Muneyoshi caught it in his hand and said with a squint and a smile.

As his words fell, a wave of mental energy once again began spreading across the court from his body.

Whoosh!

The tennis ball in his hand looked like a burning fireball. Muneyoshi tossed it into the air, and Tezuka's gaze followed its slow ascent.

The moment the ball aligned with the sun in the sky,

the dark world was instantly engulfed by violent wind and flames, which blazed even more fiercely.

A terrifying wave of mental energy surged from Muneyoshi toward Tezuka on the opposite side of the court.

Boom!

In front of Tezuka, endless flames and suffocating darkness seemed to appear once more.

In the dark space, no matter how fiercely the flames burned, their light was completely swallowed up.

Only the crisp, distant sound of a racket striking the ball rang out.

"Thwack!"

Sparks burst beside Tezuka's feet again, and the scattered embers landed on his skin.

They jolted Tezuka, who had been lost in the vision, back to his senses.

But when Tezuka came to, Muneyoshi had already finished serving and was walking toward the service box on the other side.

In a regulation tennis match, the first serve of each game is made from behind the right baseline. After a point is won or lost, the server switches to the left side.

When Tezuka saw Muneyoshi walk straight toward the left service box, he turned and looked behind him again.

Another bright yellow tennis ball lay quietly there.

Even though it had happened once before, Tezuka still couldn't help feeling shocked.

But now that shock was accompanied by greater focus—and a firm resolve to find a way to counter the move.

In the end, Saeki Muneyoshi's skill hadn't yet broken through to the National Level. He hadn't truly stepped onto that level, but just like Yukimura Seiichi,

he had a talent for mental power that few could match.

And unlike Yukimura, who was still groping his way forward on his own, Muneyoshi knew full well the advantages that came with powerful mental energy.

Of course, he couldn't yet do what the future Yukimura would manage: reverse the future, create a Mirage, or use Zero-Sense Tennis—those Different Dimension techniques.

Besides, they weren't his style.

He had his own way!

His use of mental energy was still a little rough around the edges, but he had nonetheless figured out a set of techniques that belonged solely to him.

Scorching Sun Tinder was one application; Scorching Sun Burn was another.

He couldn't yet influence someone across the whole court, especially a formidable opponent like Tezuka.

But when serving, he had enough time to prepare and to use mental interference and deception. That, he could do.

Still, that was all he could manage. His mental power was 4.5, the highest of his five attributes, and even this was no small feat.

But if his opponent's mental power was about the same as his, or greater,

then these tricks wouldn't work at all.

Looking at Tezuka, who remained utterly composed across the court, Muneyoshi sighed. "Tezuka, you've figured it out too, haven't you?"

As if answering Muneyoshi's question, Tezuka's body began to radiate streams of white energy as Muneyoshi served again.

"The State of Selflessness?"

The boost from the State of Selflessness greatly heightened Tezuka's senses in every respect, especially his ability to resist mental attacks.

Thwack!

He served again, but this time, even Muneyoshi's mental interference couldn't make Tezuka misjudge the ball.

Brilliant light burst from Tezuka's body.

The mental energy spreading around him all dissipated.

"Muneyoshi, I've seen what your tennis can do!"

Thwack...

His silver-white racket swept out like a giant net, catching the orange ball before he drove it back with all his strength.

The ball shot back like a cannonball with a whoosh, racing over the net before dropping down.

But Muneyoshi had already anticipated it. He rushed toward the net and, before the ball could land, gently tapped it across to the other side.

After several more exchanges, Muneyoshi still held on to his service game.

"1–1."

The score then climbed rapidly, with the players taking turns winning points.

Thwack!

"Point to Saeki Muneyoshi. The score is 2–2."

Thwack!

"Point to Tezuka Kunimitsu. The score is 3–2."

Thwack!

"Point to Saeki Muneyoshi. The score is 3–3."

"Mm, you noticed, didn't you, Tezuka..."

Muneyoshi smiled inwardly. He seemed to be finding it easier to keep up.

They had played five games, and the effect of Scorching Sun Tinder was finally beginning to show.

The power, penetration, and speed of his returns had all changed noticeably.

As the match continued, they grew stronger still.

Naturally, Tezuka couldn't fail to notice the change.

Feeling the temperature around him grow hotter and hotter, Tezuka had already worked out what was happening.

He pushed up his glasses and glanced at Muneyoshi, thinking to himself:

Is it this mental energy? Under its constant assault, I'm growing weaker—not him growing stronger!

"Muneyoshi, your tennis is certainly strange. But it ends here!"

"Boom!"

The wisps of white energy that had been coiling around Tezuka suddenly swelled, enveloping his entire body. Then, under Tezuka's control,

all the energy gathered in his left hand, while five-colored light shimmered around him.

"The State of Selflessness: Pinnacle of a Thousand Forgings."

Muneyoshi wasn't surprised, but he was still impressed by Tezuka.

What heights would someone of such talent have reached if he hadn't spent three years dormant in middle school?

No one could know, but Muneyoshi was eager to find out.

The match continued. It was Tezuka's service game, and he was still in relatively good shape, so there was no decrease in the power, angle, or speed of his serve.

Muneyoshi returned the ball diagonally again, but after it landed in Tezuka's half, it curved toward Tezuka.

It was Tezuka Zone!

The State of Selflessness consumed a tremendous amount of stamina, but with the help of Tezuka Zone,

Tezuka could impart a subtle spin to the ball and stand slightly behind the center of the court, forming a circle with a 4.2-meter diameter that drew the ball toward him.

This effectively prevented wasted effort and allowed the State of Selflessness to shine in Tezuka's hands.

Combined with the effects of the Pinnacle of a Thousand Forgings, it doubled the spin, power, and speed of the incoming ball and sent them all right back at Muneyoshi.

The score quickly began to pull away.