The Emperor and the Lion

Call...

Sanada adjusted his breathing slightly, suppressing the distracting thoughts in his mind.

Although he didn't get to face Saeki Muneyoshi in the singles third match, Sanada Genichirou was determined to win regardless of his opponent.

Leaning forward, the sound of tennis rackets hitting the ground filled the air, and the noise from outside the court quickly subsided.

Not only because it was a great match, but also because quiet was necessary during the serve reception to avoid outside noise affecting the players' performance on the court.

Tap tap... slap!

After feeling that his ball control had reached a pretty good rhythm, Sanada grabbed the tennis ball and then glanced at Tachibana Kippei's position.

Sanada tossed the ball upwards without jumping, then suddenly raised his right hand and smashed it down hard on the empty tennis ball.

"Take this, Tachibana Kippei!"

Like drawing a sword from its sheath, Sanada's serve sent the tennis ball flying at an incredibly fast speed.

"Serve quickly!"

A few drops of cold sweat trickled down Kamio Akira's forehead; he could only see an extremely blurry shadow of that ball.

Even though Sanada's serve was just a normal one, it was faster than his super-fast serve.

"Good!"

Seeing this, Tachibana Kippei also praised the ordinary serve, which was of high quality.

Without stopping, Ju moved swiftly to the right, arriving right in front of the tennis ball just before it hit the ground.

Bang!

In the blink of an eye, Sanada's high-speed serve was returned by him, and the power was no less than Sanada's, and even a little stronger.

"Tachibana Kippei, well done."

Sanada was not surprised at all that his first probing serve was returned, and with just a glance, he had already calculated the approximate landing point of Tachibana Kippei's return.

This was not only due to his own abilities, but also because of the large amount of information provided by Yanagi Renji.

The information about Tachibana Kippei is actually the most detailed, and his previous match against Tachibana Kippei Akutsu Jin also revealed a lot about him.

Sanada's arm traced an arc as he completed his swing.

Besides the Rikkai Dai students, Muneyoshi and Keith, Atobe Akutsu Tezuka also present in the stands.

In that instant, almost no one else saw Sanada swing his arm, and the tennis ball had already bounced past Tachibana Kippei's feet.

"Rikkai Dai's Sanada scores, score 15-0."

"As expected of Sanada, that terrifying swing speed. Even Tachibana Kippei couldn't catch his hitting point just now," Atobe exclaimed.

Even with his keen eyesight, it would be extremely difficult to capture the Sanada hits the ball with his swing.

That can easily cause eye strain.

"Tch, that Sanada guy, I haven't forgotten about last year's grudge!"

Akutsu, on the other side, was very familiar with both of the players on the field, and he would fight back against anyone who had defeated him in the past.

"This is considered a vice-captain from Rikkai Dai? He's incredibly capable!"

Seeing that Tachibana Kippei hadn't reacted in time and was scored on directly, the first-year students of Fudomine were all surprised by Sanada's strength.

"Alright, don't be surprised. Tachibana's strength is only just beginning to show. This match is far from over, so watch closely!"

Muneyoshi patted the group on the shoulders, saying that seeing such a showdown was a good thing for them as well.

On the field.

Tachibana Kippei remained unaffected by Sanada's previous serve. Seeing Sanada preparing to serve again, Tachibana Kippei instead shouted:

"Sanada, use your full strength! Niou just used many of your special moves. Those techniques would be even more powerful if you used them yourself!"

"Um?"

Sanada Genichirou caught the bouncing tennis ball and gently pressed it down twice with his palm, his gaze flickering slightly as he watched Tachibana Kippei's position.

He was well aware of Tachibana Kippei's strength; even he couldn't underestimate him.

"Since you've asked, then I'll grant your request, Tachibana Kippei!"

Swish~

The mustard-yellow tennis ball was tossed up by Sanada, soaring high overhead.

He still didn't jump, his eyes fixed on the rising tennis ball, just as it reached its highest point and was about to fall.

Sanada drew his sword while standing, like a sharp blade being drawn from its sheath.

With a flick of his arm, his elbow created a terrifying afterimage, and the racket transformed into a gust of wind the instant it struck the tennis ball.

Bang!

A ray of moonlight instantly engulfed the tennis ball.

Tachibana Kippei only heard the sound of a tennis ball being hit, and in the blink of an eye, a pale yellow light flashed across Ju's service line.

"Sanada Genichirou scores, score 30-0."

The invisible swing!

It also originates from the true essence of military strategy: Swift as the Wind!

Sanada is a very decisive person. Since he no longer had any intention of testing the waters, he acted very decisively.

"This is Sanada's Swift as the Wind..."

Muneyoshi's eyes flickered, and two images of rackets swinging kept appearing in his vision: one was his smash serve, and the other was Sanada's afterimage.

"Sanada's techniques certainly have room for improvement; no wonder he was able to reach that level later on..."

Because he had his own moves to compare against, Muneyoshi saw through Sanada's move almost instantly.

However, for Tachibana Kippei on the field, Sanada's Swift as the Wind was even faster than he had imagined.

He needs a little while to get used to this invisible preparatory action.

Bang!

"Sanada Genichirou scores, score 40-0."

"Swift as the Wind..."

Bang!

On the last serve of the first game, before Sanada could even finish speaking, Tachibana Kippei moved his body at the same moment Sanada served.

"You're really impressive, Sanada, but it's impossible for you to keep scoring like this."

Suddenly, a frenzied and fierce aura surged from Tachibana Kippei's body.

A dark red, Beast Aura emanated from his body, making Sanada, who was preparing to serve, feel considerably heavier.

It seemed as if a heavy weight was pressing down on his shoulders.

"Beast Aura... Watch me sever you..."

Even after Tachibana Kippei used his Beast Aura to suppress Sanada's speed after the first ball, Sanada's speed remained unchanged.

Bang!

"Game! Sanada Genichirou wins this round, score 1-0!"

Facing Sanada's swing, Tachibana Kippei tried his best to catch up, but he was still a few steps too late and watched helplessly as the tennis ball flew out of bounds and hit the wall.

He held Sanada's serve directly.

However, as Tachibana Kippei began serving, the Beast Aura surrounding the court grew even more intense.

A powerful flat shot was violently hit by Tachibana Kippei, and the aura contained within the tennis ball began to interfere with Sanada Genichirou as it flew towards him.

"Hmph! Is this the Beast Aura? Nothing special. Watch me cut you down! Swift as the Wind..."

Sanada became incredibly cold at this moment. The "Swift as the Wind" move could not only be used for serving, but also had a similar effect in returning the ball.

"I've gotten used to this move, Sanada..."

After activating his Beast Aura, Tachibana Kippei's speed and strength both increase to varying degrees.

There's no need to pay attention to Sanada Genichirou's swing point anymore; instead, rely on the agile and swift movements of a beast to chase after the ball after it has flown out.

As the Beast Aura continued to expand, Tachibana Kippei became increasingly unrestrained.

He wore a confident smile, but his footwork was steady, and he accurately positioned himself to hit the ball.

"Rampaging Mighty Lion!"

With a single, vertical pull, the tennis ball, which seemed to have vanished, was scooped up by Tachibana Kippei.

Bang!

A black and red light flashed on the racket, followed by the tennis ball slicing with intense spin and a fierce aura, smashing towards Sanada's midcourt.

"Tachibana Kippei, you're too slow!"

Sanada, on the other side, was already prepared to return the ball. In a few strides, he caught up with the tennis ball that was about to hit the ground a second time.

However, just as he was about to retaliate, the Beast Aura contained within the tennis ball seemed to be stimulated and suddenly expanded.

In Sanada's vision, the black and red aura suddenly transformed into a giant lion's head, which roared at him.

Sanada was startled, and his swing became unorthodox, sending the tennis ball flying high into the air!

"Hahaha, Sanada, take this! Rampaging Mighty Lion!"

Tachibana Kippei had already rushed to the net, leaped high, and his black and red aura gathered once more as he smashed the racket down.

Bang!

The powerful force seemed to shake the entire stadium, finally securing a point against Sanada.

"Fudomine Tachibana Kippei scores, score 15-0."

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