"Niou" and Keith
"Keith, that doubles pair over there is pretty good!"
Lin Xiu picked up the racket, showing no emotional change despite losing a game.
"Xiu, you're right, it's really interesting. That squinty-eyed guy is a formidable character."
Keith also began to look at Yanagi Renji with new respect after his recent outstanding performance.
"However, his other teammate, for some reason, couldn't figure out why Muneyoshi valued him so much."
Lin Xiu couldn't figure it out either. He shook his head. "No matter what the opponent is preparing, this is his serve, and he can't hide it."
The third game, served by Niou Masaharu.
With his silver braid swaying casually behind his head, Niou chuckled softly, and a strange spiritual force instantly enveloped him, causing him to raise his lowered head.
She was wearing the same clothes as him, but her appearance had completely changed.
The first phantom of Niou Masaharu on the path of spiritual power: Sanada Genichirou reports!
"This... this is!"
"Rikkai Dai Minister Sanada?"
How did Niou turn into Sanada's appearance?
"Minister, what did this guy do?"
Seeing their opponent suddenly transform into someone else, everyone was astonished, even Tachibana Kippei was shocked by Niou's actions.
"I didn't expect we could achieve this so soon..."
To be honest, Muneyoshi was also a bit stunned by Niou. He had anticipated this scene, but he didn't expect it to happen so soon.
When he first met Niou, he sensed the other's active spiritual energy; the second time, this spiritual energy disappeared.
He knew that Niou had definitely embarked on the path of spiritual power, but mastering spiritual power and transforming it into different people would still take some time.
However, Niou, who didn't begin to transform until his third year in the original work, changed so quickly.
It seems that Fudomine, like a butterfly effect, has put a lot of pressure on Rikkai Dai and everyone else.
Therefore, those who could have embarked on this path in the first place all began to evolve ahead of time.
"Minister Muneyoshi?"
Seeing the questioning look in Tachibana Kippei's eyes, and the excitement and curiosity in Ibu Shinji's eyes, Muneyoshi nodded. "That's right, this is another application of the Mental Power Path that I told you about."
After receiving an affirmative answer, Tachibana Kippei suppressed his emotions, while Ibu Shinji stared intently at Niou Masaharu, greedily using his weak mental power to sense everything.
The changes in Niou surprised not only the spectators and the members of Fudomine, but also many members of Rikkai Dai who were unaware of Niou Masaharu's abilities.
Seeing Niou transform into his own form again, Sanada let out a disgruntled snort.
Meanwhile, Yukimura on the coaching bench smiled. In fact, when Niou first demonstrated this ability to them, it startled them as well.
However, when he turned around, Yukimura was shocked by Niou's transformed strength.
He believes that after today, Rikkai Dai's title defense will be flawless!
Call...
Niou, now in Sanada's form, adjusted his breathing slightly, suppressing the distracting thoughts in his mind.
He hasn't fully grasped this state yet, and this change is taking a toll on him, but he has to do it in order to win the game.
Snap!
Snap!
The sound of rackets hitting tennis balls filled the air, and the noise outside the court quickly subsided.
Everyone wanted to see just how much strength this "Sanada" on the field could muster.
After feeling that the ball control on the racket had reached a good point, "Sanada" tossed the ball upwards and then...
A gentle breeze blew by.
Bang!
"ACE, Rikkai's Masaharu Oh scores, 15-0."
"Wow... so fast!"
"Niou can even imitate Sanada's invisible swing?!"
Meanwhile, Keith and Lin Xiu, who were on the opposite side of the court, also saw the tennis ball rolling to their feet. At that moment, a glint flashed in Keith's eyes. He straightened up and turned to look at Saeki Muneyoshi in the rest area.
That shot from the opponent reminded him of Saeki Muneyoshi.
"Keith, it seems Muneyoshi knows this move too..."
After a moment's thought, Keith shook his head and said, "His strength and speed are no match for Muneyoshi. Hmph, but Muneyoshi definitely copied his serve!"
"Japan, how interesting!"
At this moment, Keith truly became interested in these middle school students from Japan.
Different paths, different strengths—this was something he had never encountered before in England.
"Xiu, I'm going to use my true strength now..."
Keith certainly didn't want to miss out on such an interesting opponent.
"Okay! It's up to you!"
Seeing that a point had been scored, "Sanada" didn't hesitate, quickly moving to the other side of the service area and unleashing another unseen swing.
Bang!
"ACE, Rikkai's Masaharu Oh scores, 30-0."
Keith's eyes gleamed as he watched the tennis ball roll back to his feet. This serve was fast, accurate, and powerful—truly a rare and exceptional serve.
"However, this speed is far inferior to Muneyoshi's!"
Bang!
Sanada's serve was fast, but Keith moved in sync, taking a sudden step back, his whole figure seemingly turning into a black shadow.
His powerful explosiveness was on full display this time.
Just as the tennis ball bounced and was about to fly out of bounds, Keith's arm swung out with lightning speed, its powerful momentum carrying a fierce force.
Bang!
A loud bang echoed through the air. Keith didn't use any techniques to deal with it, but instead chose to directly confront Sanada's serve head-on.
Boom!
The powerful force caused the tennis ball to vibrate slightly in the air, creating a strong gust of air that instantly passed through Yanagi Renji's defense and headed towards the baseline opposite Sanada's.
"Drink! Swift as the Wind!"
The "Sanada" that Niou had conjured was just like him. His feet moved like the wind, and in a few steps he caught up with the tennis ball and moved to the opposite baseline.
Bang!
He stretched the muscles in his arm, then lifted his racket upwards, and the powerful smash was returned to him.
However, the angle of return for this shot was slightly too high.
Thump, thump, thump, a series of hurried footsteps sounded, and Keith on the opposite half of the court suddenly sprinted to the net and leaped up.
He suddenly raised his right hand and slammed it down on the empty tennis ball.
"This internet speed..."
Yanagi Renji's expression turned serious. Keith's speed had once again exceeded the original statistics, and he couldn't stop this shot in time.
Bang!
The tennis ball crossed the half-court and slammed heavily against the iron net behind Niou.
"Fudomine's score, 15-30."
Swish!
The tennis ball was once again tossed high into the air by "Sanada," and everyone only felt a blurry phantom afterward.
Bang!
With a flash, the tennis ball flew from Lin Xiu's feet.
"Wow... so fast!"
Lin Xiu's eyes narrowed, his gaze filled with seriousness. He had only seen a blurry shadow of that serve.
"Repair it, leave it to me!"
Keith sprinted and caught up with the tennis ball again, then swung his racket and swung it fiercely towards an empty space.
Bang!
The sound of the ball being struck can be heard.
Keith lifted his racket again, and Sanada's serve was returned once more.
Even Sanada, who was actually sitting in the audience, looked extremely serious at this moment.
Although the form of Niou might be weaker, the opponent retaliated so easily.
This shows that even for him personally, such a serve wouldn't have much effect.
"No, this isn't enough. I need to become stronger!"
Sanada, a master of intense competition, is feeling the pressure once again.
However, Niou had transformed into "Sanada", did not give up at this moment. Instead, he used Swift as the Wind again, increasing his speed to the extreme and quickly catching up with the tennis ball.
Gentle as the Forest!
"Lin? It's actually Lin? Niou?"
With a slight tilt of the racket, he gently sliced the tennis ball in the air.
The tennis ball that Keith hit back was like a withered autumn leaf; all the spin on the ball was eliminated, and it floated directly to a spot not far from the net.
"Rikkai University's Masaharu Oh scores, 40-15."
P. S.: "Please vote with monthly tickets!"
Are there any fans of Niou Masaharu?
In fact, Niou in the original work has some powerful buffs, namely that he has never won a singles match and has never lost a doubles match...
However, it seems that an exception will have to be made now.