Darkness Sweeps In

"Great, it's the captain!"

"Captain, show this guy how strong you are!"

"Captain Ohashi, please teach this kid who doesn't know his place a lesson."

Seeing that Ohashi Miku could no longer tolerate Muneyoshi's insolence and had stepped forward, the other Regulars finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Saeki Muneyoshi had looked terrifying just now.

With the captain stepping in, nothing should be able to stir up any trouble now... right?

"Although the vice principal recommended you for the Tennis Club, you're only a first-year. Where did you get the nerve to challenge me?"

"What, do you want to be stripped of your Regular status and go pick up balls with those people?"

Ohashi's eyes were filled with rage. As he spoke, he glanced sideways at the first- and second-years picking up balls on another court.

Muneyoshi did not answer. Seeing that the other side had stepped forward as he wished, a chilling glint flashed through his eyes before he immediately reined in some of the psychic power leaking from him.

He seemed to become that easily bullied first-year again.

Today, his target was Ohashi Miku and every Regular—even Tony Oki. No one could stop him!

"Heh, are you that confident in your tennis skills, first-year? Since you want a match, then let's try it."

Spitting on the ground, Ohashi Miku did not mind teaching this arrogant fool a lesson since Saeki Muneyoshi had dared to provoke him.

He had already decided that even if the other boy begged for mercy later, he would not let him off lightly!

"Hehe, just what I wanted!"

Hearing the other side's undisguised threats and malice, Muneyoshi gave a savage grin.

He tossed his tennis bag aside and headed straight for a nearby court.

As he stared across at the figure on the other side, Muneyoshi felt a sense of relief, as though things should have happened this way long ago.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Actually, I should have been unable to hold myself back long ago!"

Over the month since school had started, ever since joining Fudomine's Tennis Club, the negative emotions in his heart had begun rising steadily, accumulating without end.

On top of that, his development of Shining Shot had hit a bottleneck, and his goal of advancing further had been frustrated.

His urge to vent and destroy grew stronger and stronger. Fudomine Tennis Club's decay and complete lack of accomplishment had resulted in them being eliminated in the first round during his first year of middle school.

How could he not be angry?

Frustration, irritability, anger, annoyance, disappointment, depression, self-blame, regret...

He regretted not changing things sooner and resented himself for not choosing another school when he had first selected one.

Perhaps this was a common flaw among transmigrators like him. They always believed they were different, that they could thrive anywhere, and that even a trash school could rise under their leadership.

He had misjudged the situation and overestimated himself.

Deep down, he looked down on the people of Fudomine, and the people of Fudomine had not given this backdoor entrant any kind treatment either.

They had not even given him a chance to play.

They had all cast contemptuous looks his way.

All kinds of emotions continued to build within Muneyoshi. At last, he had waited for the moment they erupted.

He desperately wanted to shatter every barrier before him and destroy every person and thing standing in the way of his advancement.

Then let it begin with this ball!

The fire of Fudomine's revolution, destruction, and rebirth should all be ignited by his own hand.

Tap, tap, tap...

As he lightly bounced the tennis ball, the rage in Muneyoshi's chest began merging with the darkness and brutality accumulated in his heart under the influence of his psychic power.

The highly condensed psychic power made it seem as though a blazing flame burned in his eyes, but Muneyoshi quickly restrained it.

Whoosh!

He tossed the tennis ball straight into the air. Then his entire body tensed, the graceful lines of his muscles faintly emerging beneath his clothes.

He bent slightly, then leaped fiercely. His center of gravity rose steadily from below, his knees pushed off, and his elbow turned lightly.

Bang!

With a crisp crack, the tennis ball became a yellow flash that streaked through the air and landed firmly in the inverted triangle by the service line, as though it had been rehearsed countless times.

"Ace, 15-0."

"Gasp... G-good shot!"

Ohashi Miku, who had been looking down on Muneyoshi and planning to teach him a lesson, froze instantly. The other Regulars watching from the side all sprang up at once.

But their surprise was only beginning.

Bang!

"Ace, 30-0."

Bang!

"Ace, 40-0."

Bang!

"Service game, 1-0."

"What? Am I seeing this right? The captain couldn't even return the ball!"

"That kid is actually this strong..."

Of course, Ohashi Miku heard the Regulars' discussion and their unconscious praise of Muneyoshi, which only made the fire in his heart burn hotter.

If he had merely been dissatisfied with Muneyoshi before, then now, the way he looked at Saeki Muneyoshi was filled with undisguised disgust and gloom.

"Damned brat, if you're like this... then what am I supposed to be?"

Ohashi Miku clenched the tennis ball tightly, veins bulging on his arm as he stared at Muneyoshi with bloodshot eyes. "Die. I want you dead!"

Bang!

Filled with rage, Ohashi Miku's shot contained no concealment at all as it came straight for Muneyoshi's face.

A savage curve formed at Muneyoshi's lips. He had already noticed Fudomine's petty tricks when observing their match against Seigaku.

Compared to street tennis courts, they were even more disgraceful.

If players at street courts still tried to hide their attacks on the body, then Ohashi Miku was now openly aiming for his opponent's body.

"Since that's the case, then don't blame me!"

Step!

Muneyoshi took a step back with his left foot and raised his elbow to the right.

"Raise Fire to the Heavens!"

Bang!

"Ah..."

The instant the tennis ball reached Muneyoshi, he struck it back with even greater force. It crossed the court and slammed heavily into Ohashi Miku's stomach just as he landed.

It knocked him straight down, the powerful impact bringing a sweet taste into his mouth.

"What? Is the mighty captain of Fudomine Tennis Club only this capable?"

Seeing Ohashi Miku half-crouched on the ground, Saeki Muneyoshi's gaze was icy cold. There was a trace of contempt in his voice, without the slightest warmth.

"You... damned... bastard!"

"Haah!"

Struggling to his feet, Ohashi Miku looked utterly disheveled, yet he still struck the ball with all his strength.

Bang!

This shot was incredibly fast, already surpassing Ohashi Miku's usual level. The many Regulars watching from the side could not help secretly sighing.

"As expected, the captain's strength is definitely beyond anything they can catch up to."

This ball would have been difficult for Fudomine's other Regulars to return.

But for Saeki Muneyoshi, who had already fully entered the national level and taken a great step forward within it, it was nothing.

In what seemed like an instant, Muneyoshi appeared before the ball.

With malice and negative emotions filling his heart, Muneyoshi did not hold back this time. The brutality in him kept him from controlling his strength; instead, he swung his racket with all his might.

What he wanted was not the current Fudomine, which had become like a cesspit, but to destroy it completely.

He did not want these Regulars to submit. He wanted them to fear him!

Besides, only overwhelming power could vent the rage in his heart right now.

Boom!

The tennis ball carried a massive shriek through the air, turning into a beam of light as it shot toward Ohashi Miku's court.

Bang...

Like a stone smashing into the ground, the ball kicked up a cloud of dust upon landing. Then it rebounded at even greater speed, like a giant dragon, flying toward Ohashi Miku's face with a piercing howl.

"Ah..."

Drops of blood sprayed through the air as Ohashi Miku screamed again.

The terrifying force sent him flying backward before he slammed heavily into the iron fence behind him.

"How is that possible..."

Tony Oki, who had heard the commotion outside earlier, stepped out of the office just in time to witness this scene. His face immediately changed in shock.

Saeki Muneyoshi's return had far exceeded anything he could imagine as a middle school coach.

This was not the realm of a middle schooler!

"Stop..."

"Bastard, stop right now!"

"Stop! You first-year brat, are you trying to kill someone?!"

Tony Oki instinctively tried to stop him, but before he could speak, his voice was drowned out by the other Regulars.

Their eyes were full of terror and bloodshot veins, as though Muneyoshi's state had frightened them badly.

Yet the hot-bloodedness of youth also drove them to shout at him to stop.

But how could Muneyoshi, who had already fallen into a "strange" state, listen to their commands?

It felt as though he stood in a bottomless dark swamp. Endless negative emotions became vast nets that wrapped around him, making it impossible for him to break free.

An incomparably suffocating and oppressive sensation swept through his heart, squeezing him relentlessly and dragging him deeper and deeper.

Until it reached a certain limit!

"Saeki Muneyoshi, what are you doing? You actually dared attack your senior captain! Do you still want to stay in the Tennis Club, you damned thing?!"

Tony Oki's voice was like the final fuse, igniting all his rage.

His extremely condensed psychic power seemed to ignite into a blazing inferno within his heart.

These mental flames burned along the great nets wrapped around him.

The negative, extreme emotions constantly erupting and rushing toward him became the finest fuel.

"Haah! It's all because of a damned bastard like you that Fudomine became like this!"

As his vision returned, Muneyoshi saw Tony Oki standing across the court, as well as the other Fudomine Regulars surrounding Ohashi Miku.

They were preparing to carry him away...

"Who allowed you to take him away?"

Muneyoshi's voice was like merciless ice and snow as he stared coldly at the group before him.

"Since all of you are here, then immerse yourselves in this tearing darkness as well!"

"Who do you think you are?"

Muneyoshi's words instantly ignited everyone's emotions. They grabbed their rackets, tossed up tennis balls, and struck them toward him.

"Heh!"

Seeing this, Muneyoshi took out two balls and tossed them into the air. "It should have been like this long ago. Then fall into ruin!"

An inextinguishable dim glow curled around his palm, wrapping around the tennis balls.

A murky, indescribable aura emerged from the pale yellow balls, as though countless extreme emotions were intertwined across their surfaces.

They seemed capable of stirring the bad memories and emotions in the hearts of anyone facing them.

This was not the light Muneyoshi wanted. This was darkness!

Screech~

Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!

The sounds of eight tennis balls being struck formed a curtain of noise that tore through the court, obscuring all vision and swallowing endless light.

Like a massive curtain of shadow slowly being drawn, it covered all brightness as it howled toward the Regulars and the coach.

Screams instantly rang across the entire court...

But Muneyoshi's rage did not stop because of their screams.

Instead, their wails made the black, dim light surrounding him shine even more brilliantly.

Those cries were the most exquisite feast nourishing the spread of darkness!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Another eight tennis balls rose into the air. In the hands of the utterly frenzied Muneyoshi, they attacked the people on the other side of the court once more.

Blood stained every person's body.

He, Saeki Muneyoshi.

Had never been a mild-tempered person!

PS: Sorry, everyone. Danyang was writing at the office when it suddenly started thundering and raining, and the company lost power. It scared me to death! Luckily, I have the habit of writing in a document that saves constantly, otherwise everything would have been wiped out. I didn't split the chapter or pad the word count—I just combined it all and posted more than three thousand words at once. I know everyone doesn't like reading Fudomine's plot anyway, so I'll quickly start the next part. Also, please send recommendation votes and monthly votes!